


Trouble

by Applesandbannas747



Series: Truths [2]
Category: Fence (Comics)
Genre: M/M, this won't make sense if you haven't read truths, when we meet jesse fr this will be OOC but until then suck my dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-09-26 23:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 74,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20397937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesandbannas747/pseuds/Applesandbannas747
Summary: From the first time he met Jesse Coste, Eugene knew he was more trouble than he was worth. Always asking weird questions about Eugene's friends and following them around like a crazy person, the guy practically wore caution tape and red flags. But someone like that is hard to ignore and, against his better judgment, Eugene got invested.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help myself, I just really had to write this. so i have zero self-control. what else is new? This fic is just Eugene's (and Jesse's) side of things throughout the events of Truths. It has very little Nick/Seiji content, so don't get your hopes up. It's literally just me satisfying my need for Eugene/Jesse because fuck man I make bad life choices and get attached to dumb ships!

“About damn time,” Eugene said right off.

“I’m _busy_, Eugene,” Jesse replied so snobbishly that you’d almost believe him. Eugene knew better, though.

“You’re never too busy for me. So what’s up?”

“You know _what’s up_. Everyone knows what’s up.”

“No shit. I meant what’s up with you? Avoiding my calls and ignoring my texts all day? Dude, not cool.”

“Please, you hardly need to talk to me when you can get all the details from the man himself—,” Jesse cut off abruptly, obviously realizing how petty he sounded. Eugene could have let it slide. But why would he?

“Woah, is that some resentment I’m sensing?”

“No, I—why would I? Resent him? _I_ have everything already.”

“Sure, sure. But having everything’s never stopped anyone from wanting more.” Especially people like Jesse but Eugene didn’t say as much. Not to spare Jesse’s feelings, mind. Because it was already heavily implied and to say it out loud would be too on-the-nose.

“I don’t like his mom.”

“What?” Had Eugene spaced out or had Jesse gone off to some new conversation without telling him?

“Nick’s mom,” Jesse said impatiently. “I didn’t _meet_ meet her but I saw her once. She was…not like my mom. Not like I think moms should be. I don’t like her. But I can’t say because Nick does and he’s weird about it—.”

“Weird about you insulting his mom? I’d punch you if you insulted mine, no joke.”

“Your mom’s probably _nice_. Nick’s isn’t. It’s like she sucks all the air out of the room and keeps it to herself and if Nick does anything to try and get some of it back she pretends like she’s the one suffocating. I don’t like her. I don’t know, maybe she was just really mad when I was there but it felt awful and I wasn’t even in the house, I was just—,”

“Spying?” Eugene supplied helpfully.

“Fine, spying. I’m just saying that I get he didn’t have a particularly easy childhood and he deserves to have at least one parent that doesn’t punish him for being his own person. I’m saying that Nick deserves Dad and he deserves to not be a secret forever and I’m not saying that I’d push him out of the nest or under a rug or—I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“Huh,” Eugene said, thinking. There was more to this tirade than Jesse was saying. A point to it. But he’d lost steam and it was obvious that he needed encouragement to continue. Because Jesse Coste couldn’t just say what he wanted to without proper assurances that you were listening. Usually, that kind of stuff bothered Eugene. Why start at all if you weren’t good to finish on your own? But tonight he found that he actually _did_ have something to say. “You’re a good brother.” A surprised scoff that was _this close_ to being a startled laugh sounded through Eugene’s speaker.

“How do you figure that?” He asked meanly. The meanness wasn’t meant for Eugene, not for Nick either.

“You’re totally worrying about The Nickster. You don’t like his mom ‘cause you don’t think she treats him good enough. And you wouldn’t keep him secret if you could. That makes you a good bro.”

“I’m not—.”

“Trust me,” Eugene interrupted. “I’m an expert. And _you’re_ a good brother. But we’re done talking about Nick now.”

“Tell that to everyone else.”

“How was your day?” Eugene ignored Jesse’s obvious moping.

“My day?” He sounded genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, man. Like I’ve tried asking about a billion times. How you holding up?”

“You don’t sound surprised. About Nick being my half-brother.”

“I’m not stupid. And it’s insulting that you’d think I wouldn’t figure it out. Stop avoiding my question or I’m hanging up.”

“After all the effort you put into talking to me today? Not likely.”

“Don’t get cocky, rich boy, I can hang up with no regrets if you’re gonna keep being such a hassle to talk to.”

“You wouldn’t—.”

Eugene hung up. It wasn’t even thirty seconds before his phone started buzzing and _Trouble_ popped up on his screen. He answered the call with a smirk Jesse couldn’t see but had to know was there anyway.

“Yeah?” He asked casually.

“You want to know about my day?” Jesse asked with a biting edge. He was too easy to push into a bad mood but there was something more to this than his usual dramatic fits. “It was garbage. You can’t understand what it’s like, all these people around me always buzzing about one thing or another and I know I shouldn’t but I _care _about what they’re saying. What they’re thinking—about me. And do you know what they were all saying today? Do you know what they all think now?” Jesse was fully going now, his words coming fast together, the way they did when he was upset; any faster and Eugene would stop being able to understand. “No, you don’t. Because I won’t tell you because I don’t want to say any of it but it doesn’t matter because _everyone’s_ saying it, not just Exton. You’ll have similar whispers at your school and anyone who cares about fencing will have the same whispers on their tongues and thoughts on their minds and there’s no taking it back. Jesus, the things they’re saying about Dad. The things they’re saying about _Nick._ And I—,” Jesse’s stream of words broke only so that he could take in a deep breath of air. Possibly the first one he’d taken at all since he’d gotten worked up. Eugene took advantage of the pause.

“I bet the rumors aren’t too nice to you either.” Eugene had heard all sorts of things on the Coste family today. No one had been left out of the gossip.

“They’re not,” Jesse confirmed. “But they’re not as bad as Dad and Nick have to deal with. Compared to that, I’m lucky. Not the cheating Olympian or his bastard son. I can’t—can’t complain. It’s not as bad for me as for them.”

“Oh yeah, you’re practically untouched by this scandal,” Eugene could hear a little exhale that could have been an attempt at a laugh. Or an attempt to keep something else in. He wished that he was sitting next to Jesse, that he could see his face and gauge his mood and his needs better. Like when they were at Marcel’s. Except he didn’t want to be at _Marcel’s._ But the reality was he couldn’t see Jesse and he’d just have to do what he could over the phone. “You’re tangled up in this mess, Jesse, just as much as anyone else. It’s your family. It’s you, too. You’re allowed to feel upset about it. That doesn’t make you selfish.”

“Nick had a worse day than me, I’m sure,” Jesse said after a long pause that had been so quiet Eugene would have bet his second favorite pair of sneakers the phone had been held carefully away from Jesse’s face.

“Nick had a fine day, actually,” Eugene said, grinning as he remembered Nick beating that asshole Matt so completely. “You know I’m the first one to point out what a selfish and dramatic psycho you are but this time you’re being too hard on yourself. Complain to your dad about what a shit day it was. Commiserate with Nick. You’re not stealing their thunder by hurting too. Besides, Nick’s got Seiji,” a sore topic but a relevant one. “He got Nick through the day. Who’ve you got?”

“You,” Jesse answered so easily, so earnestly, it brought Eugene to a dead halt. Jesse didn’t seem to realize he’d said anything strange, though, and Eugene recovered quickly enough.

“But I’m over here,” he said, “and I can’t hold your hand over the phone.” Not that he’d want to even if he could.

“Thank you, Eugene. For this and—everything.”

“Like spying on your brother and your crush for you?” Eugene laughed. “Yeah, don’t think I didn’t figure that out too.”

The only response Eugene got was a terse, “goodnight,” and a disconnected line. He stared down at his phone, nonplussed.

“What’s his deal?” Eugene wondered aloud. He had the idea to call Jesse back and figure it out but decided that was too much trouble for one night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i went to so much _trouble _(*wink wink*) over this. Literally spent hours figuring out how to code it so like yeah im extra as all hell please stop me  
<strike>Also, do us both a favor and don't press Hide Creator's Style. it'll be readable but it won't be pretty, mkay?</strike>

Eugene waved off his buddies after their last game of pick-up for the day. He was sweaty and definitely due for a shower. Out of habit, he checked his phone on the way to his room and, as expected, found a build-up of texts from Jesse. He debated whether to open them now or wait until after his shower.

_I've already ignored him for a couple hours_, Eugene thought. He'd better answer now, or else Jesse might start to whine. Opening his phone, Eugene scrolled up to his last message.

Trouble  
  
**Today,** 11:47 AM  
**Eugene:** got to go. Guys wanna play some b-ball. Talk later 🤙🏽  
  
**Jesse:** aren't you a little short to play basket ball?  
  
**Today,** 12:16 PM  
**Jesse:** fine, that was rude. You're exactly the average height for men in the us  
  
**Jesse:** I looked it up  
  


Trouble  
  
**Today,** 12:25 PM  
**Jesse:** fine. Ignore me. I'll go brave the gross love boat that is nick and Seiji.  
  
**Jesse:** ugh. Nick's put on Star Trek again.  
  
**Jesse:** and I have to actually watch it. This is your fault.  


Eugene rolled his eyes at the last text and typed out a quick reply. The immediacy with which Jesse responded made him feel a bit smug.

Trouble  
  
**Today,** 4:53 PM  
**Eugene:** did you survive your trip on the enterprise?  
  
**Jesse:** the reboot isn’t so bad  
  
**Jesse:** but seiji’s asleep and nick refuses to wake him up ever so we can’t watch the next one  
  
**Eugene:** jealous? 😜  
  
**Jesse:** of nick? Not a chance.  
  
**Eugene:** sure. I TOTALLY believe u  
  
**Jesse:** whatever. Think what you want but I’m really not.  


Trouble  
  
  
**Eugene:** stop pouting, blondy  
  
**Jesse:** I’m not.  
  
**Eugene:** you so are. I can hear your pout all the way from here  
  
**Jesse:** I’m NOT.  
  
**Jesse:** Call me?  
  
**Eugene:** So I can properly hear your pout?   
  
**Jesse:** No, so I can properly tell you to shut up  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** idk man sounds a little counter productive to me  
  
**Eugene:** anyway no can do. I’m already naked  
  
**Jesse:** tmi  
  
**Jesse:** also why?  
  
**Eugene:** because I’m smellier than a dung beetle 💩💩💩  
  
**Jesse:** ????????  
  
**Eugene:** I need to take a shower dude  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** go do that before your poor roommate walks in on you  
  
**Eugene:** Jordie only wishes he could be so lucky 😉  
  
**Jesse:** 🤢  
  


Eugene laughed at the barf emoji and finally put down his phone so he could climb in the shower he’d been running for a good five minutes already. Jesse had a way of distracting him. He had since the start, come to think of it. But back then it had been about watching Jesse’s crazy. For entertainment purposes and so he could keep on eye on the dude. Eugene had kinda wondered if Jesse might go serial killer on Seiji for rejecting him. As it turned out, Jesse was harmless. A brat and a diva. But nothing to worry about, really.

Eugene was an efficient showerer—just about the only thing his dweebmaster roommate liked about him. It was the _getting dressed_ part that Eugene took his time with. Wrapping a towel around his middle, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed his phone. He didn’t even bother checking his texts.

“Hey, Eugene!” A cheerful voice answered the phone. Not Jesse’s. Eugene checked the number he’d called but it was definitely the one he'd meant to. Then the out-of-context voice clicked into place and Eugene realized that he shouldn't have been so surprised to hear it.

“Nick?” Eugene asked, picking up on what must have happened.

“I called it!” Nick sounded way too pleased with himself over figuring out this not-actually-secret. “I mean, why else would you be worrying about _Jesse_?” Eugene had to laugh because that _had_ been pretty obvious of him to admit to.

“Yeah man, you caught me. But, in my defense, he wasn’t answering his phone that day.” And Eugene had been right to be worried. But it wasn’t his place to say as much.

Low and muffled, Eugene could just make out Jesse saying, “Nick, give me the phone or I will kill you,” in the background. He could image the angry splotches on Jesse’s cheeks, indignant at having his phone stolen.

“You bullying your brother?” Eugene asked at the tail end of a laugh.

“Always,” Nick replied, as entertained by Jesse’s anger as Eugene was.

“Good, make up for lost time. You’re at the Coste house, then?” He assumed they were. Where else would they be watching _Star Trek?_

“Yeah, you ever been?”

“Nah, we hang more at Marcel’s.” Jesse had never invited him over. According to Marcel, Jesse never invited anyone home. Eugene couldn't see why; Jesse was the type to lap up attention of any sort and bringing home a bunch of fencing obsessed friends to meet his Olympic gold medalist dad seemed the sort of thing Jesse would love. Jesse had, however, invited him over to _Marcel’s._ Another thing he was known for, apparently. Marcel hadn’t been overly surprised. And he certainly hadn’t complained.

“Nick!” Jesse’s shout rang loud and clear and he must have looked ready to make good on his threat because in another moment Nick was handing him over to Jesse.

“He’s about to explode,” Nick explained.

“That’s always fun,” Eugene laughed again. “Talk to you later, bro.” Nick mumbled something in reply but Eugene didn’t catch it, the phone already too far on the way from Nick’s possession to Jesse’s.

“Sorry about that, Nick’s _the worst_.” The volume on the last two words made Eugene wince. Obviously, that had been for Nick’s benefit but _he_ was the one with the phone pressed to his ear so he’d suffered way more than Nick.

“No worries, Nick’s chill. I like talking to him.”

“You’re not making me feel better.”

“When has that ever been my goal?”

“You could at least pretend.”

“And there’s the pout I was looking forward to hearing.” Eugene could also hear a door slamming and it was fifty-fifty whether the door-slam was for him or for Nick. “So. You got something to say?”

“That’s rather rude. If you didn’t want to call, you didn’t have to. I’ve got—,”

“Other things to do? Like go play third-wheel to your crush and his boyfriend?”

“Would you stop with that? Actually, you know what, I do have some homework that needs my attention.” Not too long ago, Eugene would have let him go. Would have told him he’d better get to it, then. But now that seemed a lot less fun. He’d rather talk to Jesse than piss him off.

“Hey, okay, I get it. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings—,”

“As if you could,” Jesse started up snidely.

“And,” Eugene said loudly, talking over him, “I’d like to rephrase my question. Was there a specific reason you wanted to talk because if there was, let’s do that first. Then I’ve got the craziest story about that dumbass in chem class.”

“I thought that dumbass was you?”

“You can’t prove anything,” Eugene grinned, collapsing on his bed and getting comfortable. It looked like this could turn into a long call after all. “So, should I tell my story?”

“Not yet. I did want to say something.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“It’s about Seiji.”

Of course it was about Seiji.

“Okay.”

“I know I was…”

“Batshit crazy? Yeah, dude, we all noticed.” He’d thought of asking Coach Williams if maybe she ought to ban him or something.

“I wasn’t that bad,” Jesse bristled. Eugene was about to protest—because, yeah, Jesse had been _that_ bad—but Jesse hurried on before he had the chance. “I know it wasn’t great, okay? But I’m over it. You know that, right?” There was something to the question that made Eugene consider it carefully. He could tell that Jesse really cared about the answer.

“Yeah,” he decided. “Yeah, I know. I haven’t seen you at Kings Row in ages and you never ask me weird questions about my freshies anymore.”

“Do you really call them that?”

“Sure I do.”

“To their faces?”

“To _Nick’s_ face. I don’t antagonize Seiji if I can help it.” Unlike the rest of the world. Between Aiden, Tanner, and Nick, Seiji had enough people to fight with. Eugene liked staying exclusively on his good side.

“Smart.”

“I know. And it seems like you’ve finally figured that out. You haven’t cried to me about a fight with Seiji in a while either.”

“It’s venting, not _crying_ and maybe I only stopped telling you about my troubles because you’re a jackass about it.” Jesse's tone was sharper again, acutely displeased about something. Eugene ignored it; Jesse would have to explain to him properly what he was upset about if he expected Eugene to do anything about it.

“Me, a jackass? But I’m such a caring and empathetic person,” Eugene was only playing at offense but, really, he _was_ pretty damn caring and all the rest, he just liked to layer it under jokes and pranks because being a mother hen was Kally's job, not his. But it was there all the same. A side effect of having little siblings and actually liking them, he suspected. And that was how he’d been roped into Jesse’s dumb dramas. It was how he’d found himself texting a distraught asshole at two in the morning over a month ago and _comforting_ him. To the extent that he could, in good conscious, comfort the dude low-key stalking his friend. And since then, somehow he’d become Jesse’s emotional support texting-buddy. So, no, he didn’t believe for a second that Jesse was holding back on the bitching.

“I’m serious about Seiji,” Jesse said. This had to be what he was upset about, then, or he wouldn't be steering them back to this topic.

“Sure, I know.”

“I’m serious that I’m _over_ him.”

“I thought you didn’t care what I believe about your crush,” Eugene teased, not really taking it seriously.

“I lied. I do care what you think and I wish you’d just believe me.” When Jesse’s passive aggression didn’t work on Eugene, he was always quick to fess up and say what he actually wanted. It was funny enough that Eugene didn’t even mind when Jesse pulled his passive-aggressive bullshit. He hated it from other people but, with Jesse, it just meant waiting until he got impatient and decided to admit he’d lied.

“Alright. I do. I believe you.”

“You’re just saying that so I don’t get mad,” Jesse accused. _Of course I’m just saying that so you don’t have a meltdown, _Eugene thought, exasperated. Another thing about Jesse: he wasn’t good at not immediately getting what he wanted but he wasn’t dumb enough to think placations were the genuine prize.

“You told me you’ve been in love with Seiji for a year. Haven't I been listening to you pine over him since we met? And now you expect me to think that just went away?”

“I said I _liked_ him for a year,” Jesse snapped back. “I never said I was in love. I wasn’t. And, yes, I expect you to take my word for it. Why would I lie?”

Eugene thought about it. “Good point. You love complaining to me about your Seiji related heartache.” And he hadn’t been complaining about it lately. Just about how gross Seiji and Nick were and Eugene could hardly blame him for that. Those two were all over each other all the time. Sure, Eugene gave Nick shit for it but he was happy for them. Jesse’s complaints, though, Eugene had always thought were more about jealousy than annoyance. Maybe he’d been wrong. Jesse seemed adamant that Eugene believe him about this and for some reason, Eugene wanted to give him what he wanted this time. “So what changed?”

“Nothing,” Jesse said quickly.

“Nothing,” Eugene repeated, making sure to convey how much he didn’t buy that.

“Nothing big,” Jesse mumbled, seeing the issue with claiming he’d gotten over his long-time crush because of _nothing._ “I just decided I wanted something different.”

“Oh yeah? Different like what?”

“Different like less painful.” Eugene considered breaking in to call Jesse a drama queen but he sounded serious and solemn so Eugene kept the thought to himself with an amused smile over Jesse’s melancholy. “For Seiji too. I’m just. I’m done making us both feel like shit.”

“Hey, good for you.”

“You don’t have to sound so condescending. Anyway, what was your story about chemistry?”

“Woah, hang on a minute. I was serious. For real, Jess, it’s great you’re giving up on that whole thing. It was no good for anyone. I’m…” _proud of you_ sounded too gooey. Or, if it didn’t come out as gooey, it would sound condescending. “Happy for you. I hope your next crush is better.”

“Thanks,” Jesse said after a pause during which he weighed Eugene’s words. He must have found them sincere because he wasn’t huffy anymore. "Eugene?"

"Yeah?"

"I have one last weird question about _your freshies_ but I swear it's not for a weird reason." 

"I'll be the judge of that. Shoot."

"Where's the clubhouse?"

"What? You think I'm dumb enough to compromise our secret base to the enemy? No way. I'm sworn to secrecy."

"I hear it involves a wall."

"I'm tattling to Harvard that Nick's giving out team secrets." Jesse laughed and the sound made Eugene smile. 

"You do that. Is it true that he got himself locked in there with Seiji once?"

"For _hours_," Eugene confirmed with a laugh of his own. "Harvard was pissed he had to go save their asses," he remembered. They'd come back unscathed but Harvard had said he didn't think they'd have made it another ten minutes without things turning physical and not in a sexy way. "I'd almost forgotten about that."

"Nick was telling me about it earlier. I thought for sure he was lying."

"Not this time."

Seconds ticked by in silence, the ebbs in conversation always magnified and made more evident over the phone where non-verbal cues were unavailable. But this pause didn't last too long, filled quickly by Jesse's nonsense. "You really believe me? About Seiji?" 

"I said I did, didn't I?"

"I want to make sure."

"Well, be sure, okay? I have deemed your final freshie question officially un-weird and if I hadn't already believed you before, which I did, then I would now."

"Good."

“Just don’t stalk the next guy, okay?”

“I—,”

“Eugene! That’s the third time this week!” The loud complaint drowned out whatever Jesse had been saying.

“Is that—?”

“Jordie,” Eugene said with a nod to his roommate. “How’s it going?”

“Put something on, will you?” Jordie asked.

“You’re not wearing anything?” Jesse asked immediately after. Jordie hadn’t been quiet in his request.

“I’ve got on my towel.”

“You’ve been in nothing but a towel this whole time?”

“Chill out bro,” Eugene said because Jesse sounded completely scandalized. “I like to air dry. And it’s not like you could tell.”

“Please tell me you’re getting dressed,” Jesse groaned. “I thought I specifically told you not to get walked in on.”

“Yeah, while I was _naked._ But I’m not. Technically.”

“I’d feel better if you put on pants. And I _know_ you don’t give a shit about making me feel better but you’re probably traumatizing poor Jordie.”

“That’s even worse incentive than making you feel better. But fine. I’ll get dressed. Call you back in five.” Eugene hung up and tossed his phone aside, rolling off the bed, completely dry and as ready for clothes as anyone ever was.

“Do I have to remind you that it’s against school rules to have visitors from outside of Kings Row in our room?” Jordie asked while Eugene hopped into his boxers.

“What do I need reminding for?” Eugene had only made the mistake of bringing a girl back here once during freshman year.

“Because your new conquest obviously isn’t a student here or you wouldn’t be on your phone so much.”

“My new—_Jesse?_ Don’t make me laugh, he’s not my type.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

Eugene silently mocked Jordie’s _keep it that way_ while his back was turned. The guy was such a killjoy. But Eugene definitely didn’t plan on bringing Jesse back here. Not like he brought other boys sometimes when Jordie was out for the weekend. Jesse was high-strung and sensitive and self-absorbed. He was not laid-back or chill or easy-going. He was not the kind of person Eugene liked to have fun with.


	3. Chapter 3

Eugene had barely stepped into the huge cafeteria before getting tackled. With a pretend groan that quickly turned into a laugh, he straightened up, lifting Marcus and Fritz off the ground and stumbling around like a zombie after Junior. Marcus lost his grip and slid off Eugene’s back but Fritz had him in a death grip and wasn’t going to fall off so easily.

“Gene!” Fritz shrieked when Eugene spun them in a circle to shake him off. He held onto his little brother, though, so when Fritz’s hold broke, he didn’t go flying off. Eugene sat the giggling kid down and gave him a moderately gentle knuckle rub.

“Where’d Luna and the ‘rents set up camp?” Eugene asked.

“Mom’s off making friends again,” Junior answered. “But Dad and Luna are there,” he pointed through the crowd to a table where, sure enough, Luna was hunched over on her phone, completely ignoring their dad as he talked animatedly to her. Eugene’s eyes slid from the table, scanning the rest of the crowded room.

“Mom’s that way,” Marcus told him helpfully.

“Oh, yeah. Thanks,” Eugene glanced in the direction Marcus had indicated but he didn’t spend any more time on her than he had on his dad and sister.

“You coming or what?” Fritz tugged impatiently on Eugene’s arm and he let the little tyke drag him over to their table. Dad had already stocked up on snacks from the refreshments table and Eugene happily munched on some pretzels while he caught up with his siblings. Junior had gotten and lost his first girlfriend since they’d talked last. Junior assured him it was no big deal.

“I didn’t even know we were dating until she broke up with me,” he explained.

“I can’t believe you didn’t text me about your first not actually girlfriend!” Eugene exclaimed, his accusation only a little exaggerated for show. Junior shrugged.

“You don’t text me about who you’re dating, either.”

“Because I don’t date,” Eugene explained. Not that this was a conversation he should be having with his twelve-year-old brother when their dad—and even younger brothers—were at the table. “And if I _did_, you’d be the first person to know.”

“No fair!” Fritz piped up, Marcus nodding vigorously next to him.

“You don’t have a phone, li’l bro.”

“Mom says I can have one when I’m Junior’s age.”

“Yeah, hit me up in four years.” Eugene remembered that rule. He could sympathize with his two littlest siblings—it wasn’t _that_ long ago that he’d been counting down the days until his twelfth birthday and the present he’d known he’d get on it.

Fritz started speaking again but Eugene’s attention was caught by something over his shoulder. A crowd amassing around a trio of tall blonds. Kings Row had no chill when it came to fencing and to have a gold medalist at their parent night? It was begging for a scene. Eugene had wondered if they’d come. More than that, he’d wondered if _Jesse_ would come.

“Eugene,” he heard his mom call for him and stood up to meet her with a hug before she joined them, done socializing with outsiders for the night. There was more to catch up on—Eugene’s time on the team and Fritz’s newly lost tooth and the moose that kept visiting their front yard. And it was good to talk to his family. The downside of boarding school was feeling like he was missing out on stuff. Junior had gotten a _girlfriend, _for fuck’s sake. Accidental milestone or not, Eugene was sorry he’d missed it.

“Gene,” Marcus whispered, making Eugene lean across Fritz to listen, “why does that boy keep staring at you?”

“Huh?” Eugene looked around for _that boy_ and wasn’t all that surprised when he found Jesse a little ways off, looking at him. The moment he was caught, Jesse turned his head hurriedly. Jesse wasn’t shy so the bashful move made Eugene want to laugh. “That’s just one of my friends,” he told Marcus, sitting back up to rejoin conversation, which had turned to Luna. She was in her _moody teenager_ phase so she wasn’t cooperating. Eugene joined in on the torture, asking her if _she'd _gotten any accidental dates. She readjusted her headphones so both her ears were covered instead of just one and Eugene wasn’t given an answer.

As the night went on, Eugene would occasionally catch Jesse’s eye. But Jesse stoutly refused to acknowledge that he'd been staring. He refused to acknowledge Eugene at all, even when Eugene tried for a nod of greeting. Finally, Eugene stood.

“Be back in a sec,” he told his family. He'd seen Jesse disappear down a hallway alone. It was just like Jesse, really, to need Eugene to go fetch him instead of just saying hi. He was too important to bother with that unless his presence was specifically requested. It was tiresome but obviously Jesse knew what he was doing because Eugene was tracking him down, wasn't he?

Jesse slipped back into the hallway from the bathroom that must have been his destination and when he saw Eugene he had the gull to keep walking. Eugene caught his elbow.

“I'm not your unwitting sleeper agent anymore, bud,” Eugene said easily. “You can say hello without alerting the targets to your nefarious plans.”

“I don't have any nefarious plans.”

“Sure you don't.”

“I told you—,”

“Dude, I know. You're over Seiji and all plans to expose him and Nick as liars have ceased. It was a joke. Now where's my hello? I haven't seen you in ages.”

“Hi,” Jesse offered lamely. “I wasn't going to come but Mom and Dad said I had to. For Nick.”

“Nick's had you all night, I don't think he'll mind too much if I steal you for a bit.” Eugene expected a self-satisfied smirk from Jesse over getting what he'd wanted: a personal retrieval from Eugene and absolute proof that Eugene actually wanted his company. Jesse loved people falling all over him.

But the smile that he got instead was bitten back, as if Jesse didn't want to show how pleased he was. It showed anyway. Maybe Eugene didn't spend enough time actually being with Jesse, actually seeing him, because he was surprised at how much he wanted to _keep _looking at Jesse. Especially when a hint of pink surfaced across his cheekbones. He looked pretty. Really, really pretty.

_Don't you fucking dare do it, Eugene Labao. Jesse’s nothing but trouble and you know it. _

As if to prove his point, Jesse shook off Eugene's grip and pulled back on his smug rich-boy attitude. A blond eyebrow quirked up to match the smirk Eugene had originally looked for. If Eugene had expected relief from the weird hold Jesse’s face suddenly had on him, he was wrong. Even looking like the bratty rich kid he was, Jesse was gorgeous. _Trouble, trouble, trouble, _Eugene reminded himself.

“If you're really so keen on it, I'm sure I won't be missed too much at my table. What did you have in mind? I've already been dragged on a tour so I expect something special if you're going to take me on another one.”

“Sorry, I don't give cocky dipshits the _special _tour of Kings Row so we won't be going to Castello tonight.” He winked at Jesse, who seemed confused by the comment. His joke hadn't been obvious enough—Jesse didn't know that Castello held Eugene’s dorm room. That was probably for the best. It was a bad sign Eugene had even thought of it, joke or not.

“Then where are we going?” Jesse asked, following Eugene as he plunged into the maze of people and tables. Eugene didn't answer but Jesse caught on and slowed so much he practically stopped altogether. Eugene had to backtrack to find him. “Your family?” Jesse asked, eyes wide and set on the table their current trajectory was leading them toward. The boys were climbing all over each other and fighting for the last cookie. Eugene's cookie, technically, but when had that ever stopped them?

“Yup. I told them I'd be back soon and they'll actually miss me if I run off with you.”

“I don't know, I think I should go back to—,”

“No way, you promised.”

“I did not!”

“You gonna make this into a scene?” Eugene asked. “I’ll get you there one way or another. I bet I could throw you over my shoulder pretty easily.” The look he got from Jesse suggested he was worried Eugene might actually do it. “Come on, they're not that scary.” This, Jesse didn’t look as ready to believe. Eugene planted a hand on his shoulder and pushed him forward. Jesse sputtered but didn't run off, reluctantly letting Eugene finish what he’d started and take him to meet the crew. 

At the table, Eugene scooped Fritz up easily and deposited him on his lap after stealing his seat. “Jesse, you sit there,” he said, pointing at his old spot. With a seven-person family, they filled up tables all by themselves. But Fritz was still good about sharing so it didn’t matter. Jesse slipped into the seat without betraying his discomfort. Eugene recognized his charm face and resisted the urge to snort.

“This is Jesse,” Eugene said, unnecessarily waving a hand over at Jesse, like he could be talking about anyone but the boy he’d just dragged over. He did a quick rundown of introductions, which was hard since his brothers were still warring over the cookie and kept getting all tangled together. And Luna hardly looked up from her phone, bored and displeased as she regarded Jesse briefly before returning to her screen. Jesse wasn’t outwardly discouraged, smiling brightly at each of the siblings and at Eugene’s parents.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” he said like the suck-up he was. Mom looked happy, though.

“I haven’t seen you at any events, have I?” She asked.

“No, probably not,” Jesse answered. “I’m not actually from Kings Row, I’m only here to visit my—,” there was the tiniest of falters, but Eugene was the only one to notice it, “—brother.”

“He’s Nick’s brother,” Eugene explained, ditching the prefix just like Jesse had. “You know Nick, Mom. From the team.” She nodded, smiling brightly.

“Yes, I like him,” she said.

“You like everyone.”

“Thank you,” she said in response to his light taunt. “So, Jesse, do you fence too?”

“I do,” Jesse confirmed.

“And are you on your school’s team?”

“Yes, I fence at Exton.”

“Don’t be modest,” Eugene cut in, “it doesn’t suit you.” Jesse shot him a glare for messing up his Boy Next Door act. But it really didn’t suit Jesse nearly as well as his usual haughty attitude did. “Jesse’s team captain for Exton. _And_ he’s nationally ranked.”

“Really?” Mom asked, turning on Jesse. He nodded. “You must have worked hard for your captaincy and your rank.”

Before Jesse could respond, Junior asked, “What is it, then?”

“I’m ranked number one in the nation in my bracket.” Jesse’s pride couldn’t be completely concealed, though Eugene thought he was trying to reel it in. Junior and Marcus were properly impressed, with _wows_ and everything. Mom gave him congratulations and Jesse was starting to look as pleased with himself as he usually was. _Good_. It was too weird when he went for down-to-earth. Because Jesse was as far from down-to-earth as it was possible to get.

“I’m going to be a fencer too,” Fitz announced importantly, completely unimpressed by Jesse’s title. Eugene couldn’t have been prouder.

“Is that right?” Jesse asked. “Why do you want to fence?”

“Because Gene’s a fencer. He says he'll teach me next summer!”

“Coach Eugene. It's got a nice ring to it.” Jesse was imagining it for sure, the smile he shot Eugene teetering on the edge of a smirk.

“Gotta keep my options open,” Eugene said, earning a curious look from Jesse as he tried to discern whether it had been a joke or not. “We can’t all be Olympians.”

“Hey,” everyone turned to Luna, who hadn't spoken at all since she's last been forced to half an hour ago. She was looking at Jesse with something a notch above boredom. “You're that Olympian’s son, aren't you? The one that cheated on his wife.”

“Damn, Luna, really?” Eugene asked. Jesse had gone rigid next to Eugene, his smile frozen in place like his face had forgotten to catch up with the conversation and was now stuck, awkward and uncomfortable, in a smile that was no longer appropriate. “You hardly say a word all night and _that's _what you open your mouth for?”

“Eugene,” his mother said, warning him to keep his temper in check. It was too late, he was already furious with righteous indignation.

“Mom,” he complained, gesturing across the table at his little sister, “that was a bullshit comment, she doesn’t get to talk to my friends like that!”

“I was just asking,” Luna snapped, talking right over Mom. “Christ, next time I just won't talk at all.”

“Yeah,” Eugene retorted, now equally guilty of talking over their mom. “That's a great idea. How the—,” he cut off briefly, conscious of Fritz still on his lap. “How do you even know about that? You hate fencing.”

“I read an article off my tumblr dash. Scandals are interesting even if fencing isn't. And that's him, yeah? But he's the real son—,”

“_Legitimate _son, Luna. Nick's real too and he's also my friend so you watch your mouth.” They'd gotten loud, too loud for Mom to intervene. But not too loud that Eugene couldn't hear Jesse.

“Eugene,” he whispered. “It's fine.” But Jesse wasn't nearly as good at pretending like it didn't bother him as Nick was.

“Hey now,” Dad said, loud and clear before Eugene or Luna could say another word. And Eugene _had_ been about to say another word. In fact, he had _a lot_ of words he wanted to say. “Eugene, it's not your job to scold Luna, okay? You gotta keep your cool, little man.” Eugene was too old for his dad’s old nickname and he didn't appreciate it being used now. “And Luna? It's extremely bad form to bring up dirty laundry over dinner. You apologize to Jesse and consider your words more carefully in the future.”

Luna slumped in her seat, arms crossed and the picture of a sulking teen. Eugene stuck his tongue out at her.

“Gene, I saw that,” Mom chided.

“Sorry, Ma.” She _hmm’_d in response, obviously indicating that she wasn't the one he should be apologizing to. Another glance at Luna looking properly miserable made him think she might be right. But he could still hear Jesse’s voice, unnaturally small, echoing in his head, could still feel Jesse’s intense unease, and part of him didn’t want to say sorry to Luna at all. She shouldn’t have brought up the scandal. She shouldn’t have hurt Jesse. Maybe if she properly apologized to Jesse, he’d be willing to forgive her.

With all eyes on her—almost all eyes, Jesse had his fixed on the tablecloth—Luna relented. “Fine. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked.”

“That's—,” Jesse pulled his eyes up from the table and offered Luna a weak smile, a pale imitation of his usual charm. “That's quite alright. I don't blame you for being curious.” There was a fidgety quality to him and Eugene narrowed his eyes. But there was no way to easily stop Jesse from getting to his feet with calm determination and clearing his throat awkwardly. “I'd better get back to my family now. It was nice meeting you all, thank you for letting me sit in.” And with that, he slipped away into the crowd before any of the Labaos could respond.

_Shit. _

Eugene maneuvered Fritz into the recently vacated chair and stood too. “I'd better—,” he threw a thumb over his shoulder after Jesse in lieu of actually finishing the sentence. He didn’t give them any more chance to protest his departure than Jesse had.

Eugene wasn't used to going after people. If they left, he generally let them. They could go do whatever it was they needed to alone and then if they wanted to come back—after a fight, disagreement, whatever—they could. But Jesse wasn't like that. Jesse didn't do well alone, period.

_And this was sorta my fault. _The thought made Eugene push through the crowd with a little more force until he finally caught up to the only boy he’d ever bothered to chase. Jesse gave a yelp of surprise when, for the second time that night, Eugene grabbed him by the elbow. His surprise was palpable when his eyes landed on Eugene and he didn’t even have the decency to look triumphant at being chased after.

“I can never face anyone in your family ever again,” Jesse said, so distraught that Eugene accidentally let a tiny laugh escape. Jesse glared, his face a deep shade of red. “That was _mortifying. _And now they all think I'm—I'm—I don't know, but nothing good!”

“Woah, slow down, Jess,” Eugene said, recognizing the signs of Jesse working himself up. “Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry about that, Luna was out of line.” And Eugene should have handled it better, honestly. He dragged a hand down his face with a sigh. “We don't usually fight like that. I shouldn't have gotten mad, I'm sorry you had to see that. I know it sucks being in the middle of drama that's not yours.”

“But I caused it,” Jesse wasn't in a tizzy anymore but he wasn't completely calmed down either. “You shouldn't have gotten mad at your sister over me,” it was something of an accusation and a reprimand all at once. “I know you don't get to see your family a ton when you're at school, you shouldn't waste it when they come to see you.”

“I know,” Eugene squeezed Jesse's arm without meaning to. He hadn't expected Jesse to be worrying about his relationship with Luna. “But that was just sibling stuff, you know. It happens but it’s not a big deal. I’ll go say sorry about yelling and force her into a hug because she thinks she's too cool for them—and for her big bro—and we'll be fine. I'm just sorry I stressed you out. And Luna didn't mean any harm,” he added, unable to let Jesse think poorly of Luna. “She’s not like the assholes that say all that nasty stuff about your family.”

“I know,” Jesse echoed, sounding even closer to calm now. “I'm sorry I kicked up a fuss, I didn't want to be a nuisance but…”

“What're you talking about, dumbass? You're always a nuisance but I like you fine anyway.”

“You’re supposed to say it wasn’t my fault.”

“Both can be true. Now c’mon, I’ll return you to your family.”

“_Return me?_ Like I’m some faulty printer damaged in shipping?” Yeah, Jesse was feeling fine now. Eugene just shook his head and started walking, not noticing until Jesse’s arm got tugged along that he’d never let go. He did so promptly, shoving his hands into his pockets instead.

“Why a printer?” Eugene asked.

“It was the first thing that came to my mind.”

“Dork.” Jesse gave a displeased huff but he couldn’t defend the choice. _A printer. _Like Jesse was something so mundane. Eugene would have expected Jesse to come up with some ridiculously glamorous item to correlate with himself but instead, he’d picked a printer.

“Don’t laugh,” Jesse insisted. “Well, what would you have said, then, if you’re so smart?”

“I don’t know but not a printer. Wait! I’ve got it: some sort of exorbitantly expensive knick-knack. Kind of useless but nice to look at anyway.”

“I’m taking that as an insult,” Jesse scowled, though he didn’t look all that offended.

“Good, it was meant as one,” Eugene said, a little distractedly. “Hey, you going back to school tonight?” He asked, a window keeping out icy winds and the beginnings of a snowstorm catching his eye. Jesse paused to peer outside the large window as well.

“No, just going home.” Then, turning to Eugene, “and don’t look so worried. I’m not the one driving.”

“Ah-ha! So you admit that you’re a shit driver.”

“I did not,” Jesse huffed. “And I’m _not_ a bad driver.”

“I bet you have a fancy car and no idea what to do with it,” Eugene pushed. Just because he could. They’d had the argument a dozen times already, usually when Jesse started bemoaning the ban on student driving Exton had.

“I know _exactly_ what to do with it. And stop smiling like that.”

“I was gonna make an innuendo about that but, bro, you made it too easy,” Eugene said, grin only growing at Jesse’s glower. “But, for real, text me when you get home anyway.” Jesse’s glower didn’t so much fade as morph abruptly into surprise. Eugene shrugged, unapologetic. The roads were icy.

They lingered by the window a little longer. There wasn’t any reason to, really. Eugene should see Jesse delivered back to officially being someone else’s problem. He should go make up with Luna and say his goodbyes to his family until winter break. But he made no move to do any of that, just stood and watched the snow starting to fall. Watched the faint reflection in the dark glass of him and of Jesse. And it was because he’d been looking at the slightly warped image of Jesse that he was startled for a moment to see _another_ Jesse. Taller even than he was now, older, not all the way familiar—

“Found your dad,” Eugene said, spinning them both around. Without the side-by-side comparison and the odd distortion offered by thick glass and falling snow, it was obvious the man that had appeared in the midst of the crowd was _Robert_ Coste, not Jesse. But they were remarkably similar and Eugene had a strange moment of unease to realize that the boy next to him was that man’s son. Robert Coste was something of a legend at Kings Row.

“You and the rest of the school,” Jesse said and the spell was broken.

“I bet you’d rather the school be freaking out over _you.”_ No matter whose son Jesse was, he was still Jesse. And Eugene knew that, while there may have been more nuance than his jab implied, Jesse did enjoy being noticed and, Eugene suspected, wanted to surpass his father one day.

“Shut up, Gene.” Jesse was already leading them toward the intimate and happily chatting group that Eugene had repeatedly spotted Jesse with throughout the evening.

“You gonna call me that now?” Eugene asked. “You know, only people I _really_ like are allowed to.”

“Then there won’t be a problem, will there?” Jesse replied, confident enough in his position to say it like it was a given Eugene _really_ liked him. But not confident enough that Eugene couldn’t make out his embarrassment at the presumption he’d made by using the nickname.

“Nah, I guess there won’t be. If you want to, you can call me Gene.”

“I like it. It’s cute.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m fucking _adorable.” _

“Must be all those protein shakes. Nothing says cute like sculpted muscles.”

“Sculpted muscles, huh?” Eugene said, watching a horrified flush of bright red rise up Jesse’s neck and invade his face. Flexing in an exaggerated way, he said, “I didn’t think you’d noticed.” It was light and teasing, completely typical of their usual banter. This was the part where Jesse was supposed to snap back something derisive and dismissive. Eugene could all but hear Jesse’s voice in his mind demanding _what is there to notice? _

But what Jesse really said was, “It doesn’t mean anything.” It was too defensive to be dismissive and it wasn’t derisive at all. But there wasn’t time to say anything to that because they’d arrived at their destination and Jesse was already melding seamlessly into the collection of people his dad stood among—three women that Eugene could easily assign to each of the three boys.

Eugene watched Jesse shrewdly. There was something going on here. He thought—well, there was the way he’d been watched and then ignored all night, wasn’t there? And then there were the pink undertones of Jesse’s fair skin continually rising to the surface. And his retreat just now, without so much as a goodbye…It added to something, didn’t it? But that just didn’t fit. Thoughts of that variety never did. Hell, Jesse hardly fit as a friend.

But the appraising look Nick snuck over his shoulder, the only one in the cluster to look where Jesse had come from, before whispering something into Seiji’s ear as though that had been his intention all along hinted that Jesse _had_ noticed Eugene—_was_ noticing him—to some extent. And Eugene wasn’t the only one to have picked up on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is almost as long as I intended this whole fic to be. I really overestimate my ability to write short things, don't I?


	4. Chapter 4

Eugene didn’t go to sleep right away. He didn’t think there would be any point. Jesse had a long car ride back home tonight and Eugene fully expected to be bombarded with texts the entire time. Jordie flipped off the lights and Eugene yawned. He felt his eyes drooping but didn’t let them close. Not yet.

Jesse's contact was already pulled up, though noticeably empty of any new messages. To ward off sleep and boredom, Eugene absently started scrolling, entertained by random texts that popped out at him before eventually reaching the start of their log.

Trouble  
  
**9/11/18,** 3:32 PM  
**Jesse:** Is this Eugene Labao?  
  
**Eugene:** who’s asking?  
  
**Jesse:** Jesse. I’m assuming I have the right number?  
  
**Eugene:** Yeah this is Eugene. But I don’t know a Jesse  
  
**Eugene:** wait   
  
**Eugene:** something’s coming back to me   
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** stupidly blond?  
  
**Eugene:** unfortunately tall?  
  
**Eugene:** completely boring and predictable face?  
  
**Jesse:** I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were visually impaired :(  
  
**Eugene:** Yep, must be the Coste brat.  
  
**Eugene:** I thought you weren’t interested in me?  
  
**Jesse:** I’m not.  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** Really? You having this number says otherwise 😉  
  
**Eugene:** I can’t blame ya but the answer’s still no 👎🏽 sorry bud, better luck next time  
  
**Jesse:** Do you ever shut up? I couldn’t care less about you. I just have some questions I think you could answer.  
  
**Eugene:** I have a feeling I know what those questions are about and I gotta say dude, you’re starting to give me bad vibes. Leave my bros alone.   
  
**Jesse:** I just don’t buy it. How long has Seiji been dating that cox guy?  
  
**Eugene:** you have some balls on you asking me that RIGHT AFTER I told you to nose out, dipshit  
  
**Jesse:** how long?  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** fuck if I know how long they’ve been at it but if I did why would I tell you?  
  
**Eugene:** man, I thought Nick was crazy talking about you following Seiji around but he was right  
  
**Eugene:** this is weird of you  
  
**Jesse:** You don't think their whole thing is strange?  
  
**9/13/18,** 10:20 AM  
**Jesse:** I'm just saying they don't really match, do they?  
  
**Eugene:** bro stop texting me  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** think about it. They're weird.  
  
**9/15/18,** 6:12 PM  
**Jesse:** Seriously WHY is everyone interested in that stupid nicholas cox??? Wht the fucks so interesting about him? He’s a terrible fencer.  
  
**Eugene:** better than being a terrible person 🤣  
  
**Eugene:** I noticed your dad missed our match. That why you mad?  
  
**Jesse:** He probably wanted to check on the rest of your team’s ability.  
  
**Eugene:** if you say so  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** do you know where Marcel is btw?  
  
**Jesse:** he had to leave early  
  
**Eugene:** bummer. And why’re you even here? Everyone was saying you wouldn’t show your ugly mug until the season started  
  
**Eugene:** oh duh it’s so you can come “check in” on Seiji and Nick  
  
**Jesse:** did you somehow miss the part where I’ve been fencing this whole time? That’s why I’m here.  
  
**Eugene:** ik. I wasn’t impressed.  
  
**Jesse:** what do you mean you’re not impressed? I BEAT you just now.  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** Yeah but I wasn’t impressed 😪  
  
**Jesse:** have fun blowing snot bubbles I’ve got to leave. Dad’s finally here  
  
**Eugene:** like I care  
  
**9/22/18,** 8:56 PM  
**Jesse:** it's like Seiji hates Nick.  
  
**Eugene:** I don't think Nick is the one Seiji hates 🤔  
  
**Jesse:** they get closer whenever I'm around like it's specifically to piss me off  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** I wonder why they'd be very unsubtle around you, the creep STILL going after Seiji 🙄  
  
**Jesse:** seriously does he ever look happy to be with nick??  
  
**Eugene:** why the hekk do you know how Seiji looks with OR without nick? Like…. how the fuck are you still spying?  
  
**Jesse:** I'm not and it's none of your business.  
  
**Eugene:** 😒  
  
**Eugene:** you're the one still texting me about it and also that's a sketch as hell reply dude  
  
**Jesse:** just answer my question.  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** no. Fuck off.  
  
**Eugene:** psycho stalker  
  
**9/25/18,** 4:03 PM  
**Eugene:** yo seriously wyd back at Kings Row? You're not allowed here or anywhere near my teammates.  
  
**Jesse:** I can be anywhere I want to. It's a free country.  
  
**Eugene:** stalking is still illegal tho  
  


Trouble  
  
**9/29/18,** 3:13 PM  
**Jesse:** even if they ARE dating i don't think it will last.   
  
**Eugene:** okay dipshit let's do this. Nick and Seiji are dating. I don't know how long for but they are. You think you're so special they'd, what, fake it? The whole universe doesn't revolve around you. I don't know what your deal is with Seiji but cut it out.  
  
**Eugene:** they were always heading down this road and you have nothing to do with it  
  
**Jesse:** what do you mean? Heading down this road?  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** You're a lot slower when you’re off the strip, aren't you?  
  
**Eugene:** dating. They've been all over each other for forever. Only a matter of time until that pent up sexual tension drove them here and now they're always together  
  
**Jesse:** but only after they told me they were dating. Before then I'd never heard of Nick.  
  
**Eugene:** Seiji didn't even tell his friends until recently and I'm positive you don't count as a friend. Why would he have told you anything?  
  
**Eugene:** even if it is a little weird I never see them all up in each other’s personal space anymore  
  
**Jesse:** see?! Strange.  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** shut up creep no one asked you  
  
**Jesse:** you know I’m right  
  
**Jesse:** you’re seeing Marcel tomorrow?  
  
**Eugene:** shit dude, you stalking ME now too?  
  
**Jesse:** Marcel’s my roommate and he tells me all about you whether I want to hear it or not  
  
**Eugene:** he talks about me?  
  
**Eugene:** nice ✌🏽😏  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** But he’s supposed to be hanging out with me so tell him you can’t  
  
**Eugene:** you’re such a brat wow  
  
**Eugene:** no, I’m seeing Marcel tomorrow and you can just be sad and lonely without him  
  
**Jesse:** ugh. Fine. What if you come over too?  
  
**Eugene:** What? And have to hang out with YOU? No thanks 🤮  
  
**Jesse:** He has a pool. I could convince him we should go swimming but if you’re not interested…  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** how dare you tempt me with water and swimsuits?  
  
**Eugene:** alright asshole, I’m game  
  
**Jesse:** I thought you might be  
  
**Jesse:** be grateful, tomorrow will make the second day in a row I get to play third wheel by a pool  
  
**Eugene:** wait who are you third wheeling for today?  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** oh he’s leaving for a bit. Got to go  
  
**Eugene:** who’s leaving?  
  
**Eugene:** I’m missing something  
  
**Eugene:** actually I just remembered that I don’t care  
  


Eugene’s phone popped up with a new text, the abrupt ring of it startling him because he usually had it on silent and, more than that, because he’d been absorbed in old conversations. But the new text wasn’t from Jesse. He tapped over to it anyway.

The Mother Lord  
  
**Today,** 11:11 PM  
**The Mother Lord:** We’re home. Love you, Gene, goodnight  
  
**Eugene:** 👍🏽💛💤  
  
  
  


Jesse still hadn’t texted even though it’d been ages. And now his place in their log had been lost. Eugene started typing out a text but deleted it before he pressed send. He deleted the next attempt too, and the one after. Suddenly, it seemed very hard to come up with something worthwhile to say. Each draft was dumber than the last: _Hey, you still driving? What's up? You good? _In the end, he abandoned the attempt and went back to search for his place in the old texts, all of which had been so easy to send.

He didn't make it all the way up this time, caught instead by a conversation that had always stood out to Eugene.  


Trouble  
  
**10/20/18,** 2:44 AM  
**Jesse:** Hey are you awake?  
  
**Eugene:** probably   
  
**Jesse:** shit sorry wrong number  
  
**Eugene:** I'm not your go to 3 am crisis line?  
  
**Eugene:** yeah no shit  
  
**10/20/18,** 3:00 AM  
**Eugene:** what's up?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** I told you. wrong number. Goodnight.  
  
**Eugene:** but I’m awake and now I'm wondering why YOU are  
  
**Jesse:** why wouldn't I be?  
  
**Eugene:** 🤣🤣🤣  
  
**Eugene:** for real? Because you sleep like a pampered prince. I hear you have a sleep mask and a sound machine and a humidifier and a strict schedule for beauty sleep 😴  
  
**Jesse:** who’s the stalker now?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** one sec let me check  
  
**Eugene:** yeah it's still you. ✅  
  
**Eugene:** Marcel talks about you too  
  
**Eugene:** and your weirdo habits   
  
**Jesse:** I don't have any weird habits. And I actually had meant to text Marcel in the first place so goodnight.  
  
**Eugene:** but Marcel went to sleep ages ago and he turns off his phone. So it looks like if you wanna talk you're stuck with me ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** I'd rather not talk to you.  
  
**Eugene:** and what does that mean?  
  
**Jesse:** it means that I've had a bad night and I'm not in a place where I can handle your constant ridicule.  
  
**Eugene:** Hey if you didn't constantly earn my ridicule I wouldn't have to deliver it  
  
**Eugene:** alright I'm done. No ridicule tonight. Tell me what's wrong  
  
**Jesse:** it's nothing.  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** why aren't you at the dorms?  
  
**Eugene:** and why are you trying to text Marcel at 3 am when you’re notoriously finicky about getting enough sleep?  
  
**Jesse:** it's nothing to do with you.  
  
**Eugene:** are you in trouble?  
  
**Jesse:** no  
  
**Jesse:** not that you care but I’m fine  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** fuck dude I cared enough to ask didn't I?  
  
**Eugene:** and I'm asking again. What's wrong?  
  
**Jesse:** it's long and complicated and I don't know how to explain it right  
  
**Eugene:** wanna call?  
  
**Jesse:** no I don't want to wake Mari   
  
**Eugene:** who's Mari??  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** Seiji's mom  
  
**Eugene:** I know I said I wouldn't ridicule but why in the fuck are you worried about waking up Seiji's mom???  
  
**Jesse:** I'm staying over  
  
**Eugene:** …why?  
  
**Jesse:** I know you think I'm a stalker or something but Seiji and I used to be close. I grew up staying over at his place, we live in the same neighborhood so it's really not idk creepy or anything that I'm here so don't go making weird assumptions.  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** got it. I won't call the cops.  
  
**Eugene:** so you used to be close…what happened?  
  
**Jesse:** I didn't tell nick and I'm not telling you.  
  
**Eugene:** Nick?? Is he there too?  
  
**Jesse:** yes. He and Seiji are snuggled up on the couch downstairs  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** I'm not a bad person for liking Seiji, you know. We WERE close. He was my best friend and then he moved away and I missed him so much and I just wanted him back, okay? But everything was already all messed up and no matter what I did it kept getting worse and now he's all lovey with nick and I can't escape it even if I wanted to  
  
**Jesse:** and I'm sorry but I just can't stop liking him  
  
**Jesse:** THATS not how people work. Not how I work. It's been over a year and it's not like I can just turn that off no matter how many people hate me for it  
  
**Eugene:** woah  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** I get it that feelings don't care what you want but your feelings aren't why Seiji hates u man it's because of how you're dealing with them  
  
**Jesse:** I don't want to listen to this again tonight.  
  
**Jesse:** Nick already gave me a whole lecture and I already feel like shit so save it.  
  
**Eugene:** aaah so you're upset because nick finally told you off?  
  
**Eugene:** actually I'm surprised Seiji hasn't already fucked you up for all your nonsense  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** sorry. Forgot I was being nice tonight 😬  
  
**Jesse:** Seiji has gotten really mad at me about a billion times but I never fuck I don't know I guess I always ignored him because it was all just him being mad over this dumb thing from middle school  
  
**Jesse:** I never really thought about it before because I just kept thinking I could fix it if I kept trying. Eventually he was bound to forgive me, right?  
  
**Jesse:** but Nick…the way he explained it made sense and now I'm like freaking out?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** shit it's late and I'm tired and I shouldn't be texting you please just ignore everything I've said. Goodnight.  
  
**Eugene:** you keep saying goodnight as if it will actually get me to go to bed. Jordie tries the same trick and it's never worked for him even after years of rooming together so it's not gonna work for you  
  
**Eugene:** you're feeling bad about this thing with Seiji. Guilty?  
  
**Jesse:** I guess  
  
**Eugene:** realizing you've acted like a huge shithead?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** I wasn't trying to upset him or hurt him or anything I just wanted him to give me another chance and now it's like I'm the worst person in the entire universe for not giving up on my feelings   
  
**Eugene:** pity parties are an important part of getting over crushes so congrats on getting to the first step 🎊🎉🎉  
  
**Jesse:** this is why I didn't want to talk to you.  
  
**Eugene:** look I don't know what nick said to you but I'm gonna give you some advice. Back off, stop with the scary obsession stuff, and leave the dude alone.  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** but if I leave him alone he might leave for good  
  
**Eugene:** that's the point dumb dumb. It's about giving him the choice  
  
**Jesse:** and if he chooses he wants nothing to do with me?  
  
**Jesse:** let me guess. You wouldn't blame him if he did.  
  
**Eugene:** it sucks. But don't you think that's better than forcing him?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** It's not fair to anyone if you chain him to you like this and all you're doing is hurting everyone involved. You deserve better than that too  
  
**Jesse:** you think so?  
  
**Eugene:** probably  
  
**Eugene:** Hey wanna hear something good? It'll cheer you up  
  
**Jesse:** what is it?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** seiji almost ripped Nick's arm off today for calling him shnookums 🤣  
  
**Jesse:** you're kidding. Why would nick think that was a good idea??  
  
**Eugene:** I can guarantee that he didn't  
  
**Jesse:** talk about poking a bear with a stick  
  
**Eugene:** right??? Oh god I wish I'd had the good sense to video it. It was HILARIOUS  
  
**Eugene:** seriously the funniest damn thing you've ever seen. Seiji had him in a headlock in the middle of the cat  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** CAF not cat 🐈  
  
**Jesse:** either way that's pretty funny  
  
**Eugene:** and Nick was grinning about it like a dumbass right after  
  
**Jesse:** they're really gross aren't they?  
  
**Eugene:** an odd couple for sure but they trigger my gag reflex with how sweet and gross they are together  
  
**Jesse:** same 😫  
  
**Eugene:** you done crying now?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** I wasn't crying.  
  
**Eugene:** please. “I don't want to wake up Mari” my ass. If you're close enough to her to wake her up by talking on the phone then I really will call the cops   
  
**Jesse:** Goodnight.   
  
**Eugene:** yeah alright. Gnight  
  
**10/20/18,** 7:04 AM  
**Jesse:** Thank you for last night  
  


  
  


That was the night, in retrospect, that had set his and Jesse’s relationship shifting into something closer to friendship. Eugene remembered thinking that whole time that Jesse was dramatic and definitely in the wrong but he hadn’t been able to squelch the urge to comfort him anyway. It was the idea of Jesse alone and upset and reaching out to someone who wouldn’t respond until morning. It was the idea of him more than probably crying. Eugene couldn’t just leave people like that. It made him feel bad. So he’d tried to see things from Jesse’s side and, while he still never thought Jesse was justified in all his craziness, he’d been able to see where he was coming from. If he squinted.

Apparently, it had been enough. Because after that, Jesse had texted him all the time and not just about Seiji. Eugene thought Jesse must have been lonely before then if that half-assed comfort had enticed him into talking so much. That was why he’d gone along with it. At first. But there was something undeniably charismatic about the guy. A pull that made you want to make him smile no matter how annoying and full of himself he was. It was Jesse’s breezy confidence of believing the whole world wanted to be his friend that somehow made it true. And it irritated Eugene to no end that he’d fallen for it too.

_But, unlike the rest of the world, I _am _Jesse’s friend. _The realization that in the last month and a half he’d probably become Jesse Coste’s closest friend had been slow to dawn on Eugene. He hadn't been aware that Jesse never complained in a real way to other people. Not until he'd joked about how much emotional baggage Jesse had for a rich kid that had the world and Marcel had asked what he was talking about. Apparently, Eugene's experience with Jesse wasn't the norm. Apparently, the only Jesse most people got to see was that first layer of flippant arrogance and intentional dramatic behavior. His charm face. Not even Marcel, who Eugene had previously thought of as Jesse’s best friend, was privy to the messy and outrageously petty, dramatic, and mopey inner-workings of Jesse’s mind.

He'd thought then that he must be an outlet for Jesse’s vents. Someone he didn't mind showing his uglier sides to. Eugene had figured it was because Jesse saw him as far-off or disposable so it didn't matter.

But he'd been way off base. Jesse Coste cared an awful lot what people thought of him, no matter how trivial they were in his life.

Eugene let his idle perusal of texts pull him in again, reading random snippets here and there, rather than worry too much about what, then, Jesse’s willingness to be fucking crazy with him did mean.  
  


Trouble  
  
**10/20/18,** 8:47 AM  
**Jesse:** Seiji and I were best friends for eight years. EIGHT YEARS. And I swear I’ve never seen him blush so much in my entire life. Like Nick tucked the tag in on Seiji’s shirt this morning and I thought he was actually going to catch on fire  
  
**Eugene:** welcome to my world. I get to see that first thing every day at the breakfast table  
  
**Eugene:** Seiji doesn’t usually blush tho  
  
**Eugene:** sounds entertaining  
  
**Jesse:** Are you free tomorrow night? Marcel wants to go out on the town, if you’d like to come  
  
**Eugene:** You know I do 🤟🏽  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**10/24/18,** 12:23 PM  
**Jesse:** my headphones broke  
  
**Eugene:** dang  
  
**Jesse:** they were my favorites  
  
**Eugene:** 😔 rip  
  
**Jesse:** They don’t make them in the right color anymore  
  
**Eugene:** ebay?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** ew secondhand headphones?  
  
**Eugene:** are you intentionally being dumb or do you actually think I mean you should get used headphones?  
  
**Eugene:** nah bitch im just sayin you might find your headphones online from a third party seller. New and never opened stuff exists on there yknow  
  
**Jesse:** that’s what they want you to think. Besides I already got new ones  
  
**Eugene:** then why are you complaining?  
  
**Jesse:** because they were my favorites!  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**10/26/18,** 5:09 PM  
**Jesse:** Did Marcel ask you about Sunday yet?  
  
**Eugene:** Nope. What’s crackalackin?  
  
**Jesse:** You shouldn’t say that around Marcel  
  
**Eugene:** why?  
  
**Jesse:** It makes you sound like an idiot. And you look ever more like an idiot when you write it. That’s not how its spelled  
  
**Eugene:** knowing how to spell it makes you seem WAY smart good job 👏🏽 👏🏽 👏🏽  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  


**Jesse:** wait  


[ **Jesse has sent an image** ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/9a64d944935605b16dcfac29ce6b5086/eeee55053e9e8d1d-00/s640x960/c752aef6ebaf401df563009f0fffb9d9cd51b5c0.png)  
  


**Jesse:** I thought for sure there was an e in there somewhere  
  
**Eugene:** claiming to know how to spell crackalackin and then being wrong is even worse than using it dude you’re just making yourself look bad. stop talking before you make it worse  
  


**Jesse:** then I guess you don’t want to hear what’s going on Sunday…  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**10/29/18,** 8:24 PM  
**Eugene:** I’m too gay  
  
**Jesse:** Is there a reason? Or are you declaring  
  
**Eugene:** just declaring  
  
**Eugene:** guess my declaration isn’t technically accurate but my waiter’s a dude and he’s reallyyy pretty  
  
**Jesse:** what about Marcel?  
  
**Eugene:** Marcel’s reallyyyy pretty too  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**11/3/18,** 4:21 PM  
**Jesse:** How do you stop liking someone?  
  
**Eugene:** How do you start liking someone?  
  
**11/3/18,** 4:44 PM  
**Eugene:** oh sorry was that a serious question  
  
**Jesse:** Never mind.  
  
**Eugene:** I’m not an expert but I think you just need to give it time. And space.  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** that space thing is pretty hard recently  
  
**Eugene:** ?  
  
**Eugene:** are you relapsing back into your stalking ways?  
  
**Jesse:** No.  
  
**Jesse:** I can’t tell you why but I can’t avoid Seiji lately. And no matter how hard I try not to be mad at Nick for having him I get upset sometimes anyway. It’s more fun when we get along but it’s exhausting  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** ‘can’t avoid Seiji’ 👀👀👀  
  
**Eugene:** something weird is going on. You seem to spend as much time with my boys as I do and they’re on my team 🤔  
  
**Jesse:** it’s complicated  
  
**Eugene:** obviously  
  
**Eugene:** Complicated and exhausting. Can’t be easy for your Seiji problems  
  
**Jesse:** it’s not   
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** you wanna call? I got time to talk if you feel like not telling me why it’s complicated  
  
**Jesse:** yeah okay. Just a moment, I’ve got to change out of my swimsuit and shower  
  
**Eugene:** swimming? Without me? How rude 😜  
  
**Eugene:** the flame trunks or the sunset ones?  
  
**Jesse:** why, you hoping for pictures?  
  
**Eugene:** yeah, send them along hot stuff 😉  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** 🤣  
  
**Jesse:** ….  
  
**Eugene:** I like the sunset ones better. Fires are cool 🔥🔥🔥 but sunsets suit you better 🌅  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**11/7/18,** 4:00 PM  
**Jesse:** do you think Seiji ever could have liked me. If Nick wasn’t in the picture, I mean?  
  
**Eugene:** nope  
  
**Eugene:** no way  
  
**Eugene:** never   
  
**Jesse:** I’m not THAT terrible. No need to be harsh.  
  
**Eugene:** You’re not terrible exactly. But you and Seiji? Wouldn’t have worked.  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** why not?  
  
**Eugene:** too much drama. You make enough of that on your own. Adding in the drama of trying to move on from whatever happened w you 2 would be a whole mess  
  
**Eugene:** you need something different   
  
**Eugene:** yknow, find your own Nick, so to say  
  
**Jesse:** Gross 🤢🤢🤢!!!  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** what've you got against nick? 😂  
  
**Jesse:** nothing really I guess  
  
**Jesse:** I just VERY much DO NOT want ‘my own Nick’  
  
**Eugene:** Doesn’t have to be a Nick. You just need someone that will put up with your bullshit  
  
**Jesse:** Seiji puts up with Nick’s bullshit  
  
**Eugene:** False comparison. Different kinds of bullshit. You need someone who will put up with YOUR bullshit  
  
**Eugene:** You’ll find him  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** eventually   
  
**Jesse:** I’m not sure I will  
  
**Eugene:** I am. You’re too persistent and needy to not convince some poor guy into dating you when you want it  
  
**Jesse:** lucky* guy  
  
**Eugene:** sure, that’s what I meant  
  
**Jesse:** asshole   
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** anyway want to go to the movies with me and Marcel on Friday?  
  
**Eugene:** why do I feel like I’m being bribed with Marcel to listen to your problems?  
  
**Jesse:** Is that a complaint?  
  
**Eugene:** I guess not  
  
**Eugene:** Friday works for me 👍🏽  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**11/11/18,** 9:57 PM  
**Jesse:** can I tell you something?  
  
**Eugene:** depends. Are your fingers and/or mouth working?  
  
**Jesse:** smartass   
  
**Jesse:** I’m being serious. I want to say something but I need you not to ask questions about it  
  
**Eugene:** alright shoot  
  
**Jesse:** There’s this thing going on and this week it’s going to be decided one way or the other  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** and I’m way more nervous about it than I thought I would be  
  
**Eugene:** A fencing thing?  
  
**Jesse:** No. A family thing  
  
**Eugene:** oh shit. Everything ok?  
  
**Jesse:** yeah. It’s not like divorce or anything but…I don’t know, it’s big  
  
**Jesse:** I used to think it was the bad kind of big but I don’t really think so anymore  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** so this thing, you have an outcome you want?  
  
**Jesse:** yes. I think so. And I shouldn’t be worried about it because I feel like the right choice is obvious but I’m worried anyway  
  
**Eugene:** how long until you know?  
  
**Jesse:** I’m not sure  
  
**Eugene:** and the question I’m not allowed to ask is what this big thing is?  
  
**Jesse:** that’s right  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** sounds complicated  
  
**Eugene:** if this thing doesn’t end how you want, how bad will it be?  
  
**Jesse:** what do you mean?  
  
**Eugene:** how upset should you be over it in worst case scenario? How much does it change things?  
  
**Jesse:** huh   
  
**Jesse:** I guess it won’t change things too much. Probably?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** then you’ll be fine  
  
**Eugene:** and I give excellent hugs if you need to cry about it 💪🏽  
  
**Jesse:** ha ha.  
  
**Jesse:** Thanks. That helped  
  
  
  


Suddenly, the log scrolled down of its own accord to show a new message. Eugene smiled slightly and easily tapped out a response. He’d been starting to wonder if Jesse had forgotten but the shitface had pulled through in the end and so when Eugene turned over in bed, he felt better. Thirty seconds later, the phone’s screen faded to black on the last texts of the night.

Trouble  
  
**Today,** 12:07 AM  
**Jesse:** I'm home. Goodnight  
  
**Eugene:** glad you're not dead. It was so quiet I was starting to worry  
  
**Eugene:** night   
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who was confronted by their own hubris and had to go make a fucking timeline? me. So if you're like 'wait, A&B747 it seems like this is referencing an event but I can't place it' you can ask and I will accurately tell you where in the stream of events those texts happened in relations to Truths. not that it really matters at all but hey if you're a nosy bitch like me I thought I'd extend the offer


	5. Chapter 5

Trouble  
  
**Today,** 6:16 AM  
**Eugene:** are you avoiding me?  
  
**Jesse:** how can I be avoiding you when we never see each other to begin with?  
  
**Eugene:** you were avoiding me last night  
  
**Eugene:** you’re acting weird  
  
**Jesse:** am I?  
  
**Jesse:** sorry   
  
**Jesse:** I’m not trying to  
  
**Eugene:** see what I mean?  
  
**Eugene:** and stop apologizing it’s creeping me out  
  
**Jesse:** then what do you want me to say?  
  
  


Eugene stared at the empty text box, cursor accusing him with its every blink. What did he want Jesse to say? Something bratty or whiny like always. This strange new quietness unnerved Eugene greatly. It wasn’t like Jesse. It wasn’t even _not like Jesse _in the way some things only Eugene and a select few knew actually _were_ like him. This wasn’t him whispering to Marcel that he expected Jesse to pout for days over a prank he’d pulled and Marcel saying back _that doesn’t sound like Jesse._ This awkward and deliberate shyness wasn’t like Jesse in the way that modesty didn’t suit him. Jesse was loud and brilliant and shining—a bright star with a solar system he’d built around himself. He wasn’t meant for timidity. Not even when—

Eugene stopped himself there. If he thought about it too much, he was bound to get pulled into it somehow. If he considered that Jesse might like him, it would only make things complicated. And Eugene didn’t do complicated. That was the difference between him and Jesse. Eugene had social circles just as vast as Jesse’s but Eugene was friends with everyone because he liked people. Jesse was friends with the world because he liked attention but he never let anyone too close or that attention might turn negative. He was a king and his friends were his subjects. Eugene, though, he kept people only as far or close as they wanted to be because it was easier. Because casual meant less hassle. And Jesse was a hassle.

_If he’s such a hassle, why are you complaining when he’s finally shut up?_

“Because I’m stupid, that’s why,” Eugene answered himself out loud, glad Jordie wasn’t in the room to judge him for that. Shaking his head, Eugene looked back down at his phone.

Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** I want you to say that you’re a terrible driver  
  
**Eugene:** 😜  
  
**Eugene:** I just want you to be you dude  
  
**Today,** 6:30 AM  
**Jesse:** If you’re sure I guess that could be arranged  
  
**Jesse:** I’ve got to get a new pair of headphones  
  
**Eugene:** already?  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** I don’t like the new ones. They hurt my ears  
  
**Eugene:** you’ve got sensitive ears, good to know  
  
**Jesse:** I need to get new ones  
  
**Jesse:** headphones, not ears. Do you want to come with?  
  
**Jesse:** Marcel’s coming  
  
**Eugene:** sure sounds good  
  
  


Eugene couldn’t help a sigh as he tucked his phone into his pocket.

  


* * *

  


A flashy car pulled up to the curb, the passenger-side window rolling down—tinted, of course—to reveal Jesse, grin huge and self-satisfied, behind the wheel in a posture that suggested he thought he looked cool. To be fair, if Eugene didn’t actually know Jesse, he might have found the whole thing pretty cool too.

“Hey, Marcel,” Eugene greeted the passenger first, just to see if he could get that little frown out of Jesse for ignoring him. He did. After knocking fists with Marcel, Eugene gave Jesse a nod. “’Sup, J-Money? Nice wheels.”

“I know, she’s my baby,” Jesse took a moment to bask in Eugene’s very rare appreciation over anything he did before frowning. “And you can’t call me that.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Seiji,” Eugene said. “Banning perfectly good nicknames.” It was too late to take it back when he realized the unmeaning parallel he’d just drawn between them and the gooiest couple either of them knew. Jesse’s brow furrowed for a split second, his entire cool guy facade faltering.

“Step off or the door will whack you,” Marcel warned, easily extending a hand out the open window to give Eugene a prompting shove in the chest. “You’re gonna love this.”

Startled, Eugene lost track of Jesse’s expression and obligingly took another step back. It became clear why when the car opened up like an advent calendar or pop-up book, earning an appreciative whistle from Eugene. Marcel stepped out of the car and Eugene climbed into the backseat, clapping a hand on Jesse’s shoulder when he briefly leaned up over the center console.

“Dude, for real, that door thing is so unnecessary but I dig it. I thought you couldn’t have cars on campus though.”

“Special circumstances,” Jesse replied. “Tomorrow’s a big day.” Eugene thought Jesse would have explained further if Marcel hadn’t fallen back into place in the passenger seat, closing the showy door again. Eugene sat back too. It seemed to him if Jesse had special circumstances and special days to explain, he shouldn’t have brought Marcel along. Not that Eugene disliked spending time with Marcel. Just. It would have been easier to talk if he was sitting shotgun instead.

“Where to?” Eugene asked, the silver coupe starting effortlessly, unlike the family car he’d learned to drive in, which sounded more like a lawnmower than a car.

“The mall,” Marcel answered before Jesse could.

“You know that’s like a twenty-minute bus ride from here, I coulda met you there.”

“Jesse wanted to show off his car. He’s almost as in love with it as Seiji.”

“Watch it, Marcel,” Jesse said flippantly, “or I’ll leave you on the side of the road to hitchhike back to Exton.”

“Oooh,” Eugene mocked. “Scary. Piss off J-Money and you’ll suffer his wrath. I bet he has an eject button.” Marcel laughed. Jesse didn’t.

“You too, Gene. I’ll kick you both out.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

The rest of the drive was spent debating the likelihood of Jesse’s success in a theoretical eviction of his passengers. The mall parking lot was crowded and Jesse circled around near a dozen times searching for the best and safest spot to park his _baby._ Eugene and Marcel exchanged _looks_ every time Jesse muttered to himself about how this car or that might hit him when backing out or the probability of someone trying to break in nearer the outskirts of the lot. Eventually, he settled on a spot and they piled out of the car.

It wasn’t the first time they’d all come here but usually Marcel was in charge of driving, what with his house being a short walk from his school, it was easy access. Marcel fell in next to Eugene and asked after his life recently. They didn’t text that much anymore. It went that way with flings, really. A quick burst of constant contact and then it fizzled out. Fun while it lasted and with no long-term commitments or hurt feelings after it was done. Marcel, though, was a little different than his other flings.

“You’ll have to help me pick out a Christmas present for my mom,” Marcel said after the catch-up chatter ran out.

“I thought you were Jewish.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t get me out of Christmas presents. Mom’s big into holidays in general.”

“Then you came to the right guy because I’m a great gift-giver,” Eugene said, wrapping an arm around Marcel’s shoulders. Jesse gave them a quick glance before looking away, Eugene barely caught the movement at all. That first time they’d all hung out around Marcel’s pool, Jesse had rolled his eyes, huffed impatiently, and tactlessly inserted himself into every conversation even when it was clear Eugene and Marcel were more interested in talking with each other than with him. He didn’t interrupt them at all today.

“I know, that’s why I asked you.”

“Maybe we could go do that while Jesse tries on every pair of headphones ten times to be sure the ones he settles on match his eyes properly.”

“No way,” Jesse finally interjected, a petulant glare set on Eugene. “You came to help me with headphones, you’re not ditching me to go pick out gifts with Marcel.” Then his eyes slid along Eugene’s arm and to the boy it was still wrapped around. “And _you,”_ he said, “are also here because _I_ asked you, so stop trying to run off.”

“Stingy,” Marcel said at the same time Eugene said, “Jealous?”

“I shouldn’t have invited either of you,” Jesse sulked.

“Then you won’t mind if we take our leave now.” Eugene didn’t mean it, though. He dropped his arm from Marcel and quirked an eyebrow at Jesse. “Lead on.”

The process of picking new headphones was as long and tedious as expected. Eugene and Marcel spent much of the wait time talking and brainstorming the perfect present for Ms. Berré. On occasion, Eugene would wander over to wherever Jesse was and offer whatever input he had—sometimes sincere and sometimes for a laugh.

But mostly he ended up with Marcel. Talking. Watching, too. Watching the way the elegant slope of Marcel’s jaw shifted as he spoke. Watching the way his gentle hands quietly articulated his point. Watched the dark brown of his eyes as they caught the light and revealed other colors woven into the irises. Marcel was flawless. Even his personality was pretty.

If Eugene wanted to date, Marcel was the kind of guy he could see himself with. He was subdued but funny. Fun but calm. Marcel wasn’t a hassle. When they’d first met by chance at this same mall, Eugene had been instantly and undeniably attracted. But…

“White?” Eugene asked, making Jesse jump. The store was small enough that it was easy to talk across it but Jesse hadn’t been expecting anything directed at him. Marcel broke off in his story to peer over at Jesse too. “Bro, don’t you think you’ve got enough whiteness about you already?”

“I think they look cool,” Jesse said, his hold on the box he’d been examining tightening protectively. “And they match everything.”

“They’ll go with our uniform,” Marcel agreed and Eugene gave him an appalled look.

“Next you’ll be encouraging him to get white-rimmed sunglasses.”

“He already has those.”

“Lame,” Eugene’s comment was ignored. “Sorry, Cel, you were saying about your grandma trying to deep fry a turkey?” For some reason, Eugene got matching looks from both his friends. Looks that were considering him intently. He wasn’t sure what either of them was considering but he somehow doubted it was over the same thing.

Marcel had finished the turkey story and Eugene had returned with his own Thanksgiving disaster before Jesse finally told them he was ready to check out. Eugene saw the large white headphones in Jesse’s clutches as well as some wireless earbuds so small Eugene couldn’t imagine keeping track of them.

“You really need both of those?” Eugene asked, only slightly judgmental. Jesse put them down in front of the cashier with authority.

“Yes.” And that was that. They left the store with Jesse’s headphones tucked away in a large bag and the cashier’s number tucked into Eugene’s back pocket.

“Jesus Christ,” Eugene said, looking at Jesse, “just give me that, please,” he snatched the bag from Jesse’s fingers, which tried unsuccessfully to snatch it back.

“Why?”

“Because you look like a real dick when you hold things like that,” Eugene told him. Marcel’s smirk was on Eugene’s side in this so Jesse sniffed indignantly and shed his coat.

“Are you going to carry this too?” He asked, swinging the coat over his shoulder as he had the bag, a couple fingers hooked carelessly into the fabric.

“Is that a challenge?” Dumb question. Obviously, it was a challenge. Jesse hadn’t needed to take off the jacket, he’d only wanted to prove a point. Smug shit thought he’d won. Eugene plucked the coat away too, stuffing it into the bag with the headphones. Marcel laughed.

“Now you don’t have a coat,” he said to Jesse, “and you have to carry his stuff for the rest of the night,” this was said to Eugene.

“It’s not cold,” Jesse said.

“At least now I can pretend I’m not friends with such a complete loser,” Eugene retorted. But even he could see that Jesse had gotten the better end of this arrangement.


	6. Chapter 6

“This is the wrong way,” Eugene said because someone had to. And because he liked to point out whenever Jesse did something wrong; Jesse needed someone to rub in his mistakes. The dude could do with learning some humility.

“No,” Jesse replied pissily. “We're going to Exton first.”

Eugene was halfway to asking why but decided to drop it. Jesse’s plan was completely counterintuitive since Exton was a longer drive from the mall and Eugene would need to be dropped at Kings Row before Jesse could settle in for the night in his dorm with Marcel. But if Jesse wanted to do the extra driving, so be it. He wasn't easy to dissuade from things and this wasn't worth the battle. Eugene couldn't complain, either. He wasn't losing anything from this but time…and Jesse hadn't requested a lot of it lately.

When they parked—thankfully the process was a lot faster in the nearly empty lot reserved for faculty and staff than it had been at the extensive and crowded mall—Eugene was surprised that Jesse unbuckled and unfurled from the car much as his door had moments before.

“You coming in or waiting with the car?” Marcel asked before Jesse could. Because it had been Jesse that Eugene was watching and not Marcel, he saw the sour expression that meant Jesse had had something witty and biting, and quite possibly what he considered charming, in store to ask Eugene the same thing Marcel just had.

“I'll come in,” Eugene said, then found that Marcel had already pulled the seat forward for him, anticipating his answer. “Thanks, man,” he clapped Marcel on the shoulder in thanks.

Judging by the staccato steps abandoning them by the car, Jesse was displeased with the entire interaction. As an afterthought, he flung a hand over his shoulder, fob pointing back at the car with what must have been a click. The car honked in assurance that it was locked, the sound getting Eugene and Marcel to follow after Jesse.

Eugene has been to Exton before but only in the way that Jesse had been to Kings Row. Minus the stalking and subsequent frequency with which Jesse had graced—or imposed upon—Kings Row with his presence.

The point was this: Eugene had been to the school. But he'd never been to the dorms—not any farther than a step or two into the building itself. It was a very different thing from going into Jesse’s room. _And Marcel’s_, he reminded himself.

“I take it the ban’s been lifted?” Eugene asked as he was led without hesitation down hallways that were carpeted too tastefully and up stairs that were too well lit.

“You had to go and remind him, didn't you?”

“It doesn't count, since I'm here too,” Jesse snapped, any good mood from his retail therapy already worn off. Headphones may have been the goal of their trip but Jesse’s favorite hobby outside of fencing was, from what Eugene could tell, spending money. So they’d spent hours in and out of shops, collecting bags of shit that Eugene had ended up carrying even though he hadn't bought a single thing.

“I didn't know that was written into the contract.”

“It's not,” Marcel said breezily. “No one is allowed in our room, no matter what. Especially not guys from other teams—,”

“That’s a reasonable rule,” Jesse protested. “You can’t trust them not to try and find something to use against you.”

“Or guys I’m into,” Marcel continued but was interrupted again by Jesse.

“It’s my room, I won’t be barred from it so you can pursue romance.”

“And _especially_ especially not _you_,” Marcel told Eugene.

“He fits every criterion,” Jesse said quickly. “Of course he couldn’t visit you.”

“But visiting you is fine?” Marcel asked, surprisingly blunt. Eugene must have been a bad influence on Marcel; he didn’t usually call Jesse on things. From Marcel, though, the question was mild and said in passing. If Eugene had gotten the chance to say the same thing—and he would have, if Marcel hadn’t—it would’ve been more needling. More pointed. Said with a wicked sharp grin. It would have clearly implied that Eugene thought Jesse was sure he was the most important thing in the universe.

“We’re just dropping in so I can grab my bag.” Jesse spun around to glare at them, fists planted on hips and stance clearly blocking a door that must have been their destination. “So there won’t be time for you two to get cozy, thinking I don’t know full well what’s going on just because I can’t see. _That’s_ why you’re not allowed usually,” Jesse stabbed a finger at Eugene so accusingly, you’d think it had been _Eugene_ that’d issued the question.

“No getting cozy with Marcel.” Eugene held up his hands in surrender. “Got it.”

Jesse spun again, this time to the door, which he unlocked and swung open wide. Eugene scanned over the room and found it in perfect order. No less than he’d have expected from the combination of Jesse and Marcel, really. Seiji would have been jealous. Really, a lot of Kings Row students would be jealous of this room and not because it was tidy. It was slightly bigger than a standard high school dorm room and the floor was carpeted, thick and plush and probably insanely comfortable on bare feet. But the real zinger was the tall ceiling and huge windows and—

Eugene got Jesse’s weird comment now. It was clear why he wouldn’t be able to see any snuggling up Marcel got up to. Mother fucking _b__unk beds__. _Exton had bunk beds. Nice ones. And Jesse—no way would Jesse lower himself to be bottom bunk—still had space to sit up without having to worry about hitting his head on the ceiling, it was so tall. No wonder Eugene hadn’t been allowed in here. With Jesse up on top presiding over his kingdom, it would be too easy to be left out of the peasants’ affairs. And Jesse was loathe to be left out.

“What do you think?” Marcel asked, smiling. “Not bad, is it?”

“Don’t get used to it, you’re still technically banned.” Jesse wanted to make sure they knew he was serious about this being an exception to rather than an abandonment of the rule. Eugene didn’t buy it so he rolled his eyes at Marcel.

“Ignore him,” Marcel dismissed.

“I’m serious.”

“It’s fine,” Eugene said. “You’ve been banned from my room too. Jordie’s orders.”

“Since when do you listen to Jordie?” Jesse asked and it made Eugene laugh. He had a point there.

“Really?” Marcel wondered. “Still? Or does he have a running list of all the people banned from your room?”

Eugene’s gears got stuck, stuttering his brain to a stop for just a second. Then he realized the confusion. Except he was the only one confused. Marcel had pleasant amusement on his face—every emotion looked pleasant on his face. And Jesse had an unmistakable little scowl on, scrunching his whole face like a kid about to have a fit in a grocery store. They both knew he’d been talking to Marcel. Because why would Jordie be banning _Jesse_ from their room?

But Eugene hadn’t been talking to Marcel. And, now that he thought on it, Jesse was the only person that Jordie had specifically banned.

“Jordie’s a dweeb that hates fun,” Eugene said, coming back to himself. “He doesn’t know shit but he likes to make rules anyway.”

“Well, I’m flattered to be fun enough for him to ban.”

“I’m ready, let’s go,” Jesse had his school bag swung over his shoulder and was trying to herd Eugene out of the room.

“Already?” The answer seemed to be _yes, already_ because Jesse wasn’t stopping. “Bye, then, Cel. See you next time, bro.”

“Yeah, see you around,” Marcel agreed. Then, to Jesse: “Have a good week with your folks.”

Was that where Jesse was going? His _special circumstances?_ It peeved Eugene that Jesse hadn’t bothered to explain any of this to him when Marcel seemed to know already. Maybe it was just a trip home. Maybe Jesse hadn’t bothered because there wasn’t anything to tell. But that had never stopped Jesse before.

“You’ve got a pretty sweet setup here,” Eugene commented, walking back down bright stairs and through fancy hallways. He needed to get his head on straight.

“It’s got nothing on my room at home but I make do.”

“How noble,” Eugene snorted. Jesse made a dismissive sound. “You really are like that chick in _The_ _Princess and The Pea_, aren’t you?”

“The princess?” Jesse asked.

“Was she a princess or was she a faker? I can’t remember. But, either way, that’s you. Can’t sleep with a pea under your mattress…or without all your stupid machines and sleep masks.” Eugene had gotten a good look at that whole situation and had found it every bit as extra as Marcel had ever said it was.

“Why shouldn’t I sleep in the utmost comfort?” Jesse demanded, still scowling. He’d been pushed over into a bad mood. Eugene was pleased enough to see some of Jesse’s usual petty sulk returning to him that he wasn’t even annoyed by it. It was a relief to see him acting like himself.

“I never said you shouldn’t sleep like a pampered prince, just that you do. Let me guess, you’ve got silk pajamas and fuzzy slippers to keep your toes warm if you need to piss in the middle of the night.”

“As if I only have one kind of pajamas,” Jesse sniffed haughtily. Which confirmed that he did at least have _some_ silk pajamas.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve got yourself a whole wardrobe. Can’t have Marcel see you in the same jammies twice in the same week.”

“Do you have a problem with my sleeping habits?”

“Nope, none at all. I don’t have to deal with them.”

“Is this the part where you tell me I’m high-maintenance?” Jesse asked, conjuring his car’s doors open with the click of a button. Presumably, with the click of a button. For all Eugene knew, he’d made it happen with sheer force of will.

“Don’t be like that,” Eugene said, rounding the car to climb in, “you know you are. I don’t even have to say it. But I will. Jess, you’re _extremely _high-maintenance.”

“Not like Marcel,” Jesse muttered.

“Nope, not at all,” Eugene very politely didn’t point out that Marcel didn’t pout or throw fits or need constant reassurance. He could tell that Jesse was already in too much of a _mood_ for that right now and—

And here was another thing Jesse needed. Constant supervision of his moods and pulled punches. Eugene wasn’t exactly sure when it had become habit to tune into Jesse’s moods. Wasn’t sure, either, when he’d started catering to them.

But he _did_ cater to them, that was for sure. And he did more than just pull punches. Like now, he could see Jesse was getting himself properly upset. Could tell he wanted Eugene to reassure him again, maybe tell him that he wasn’t that high-maintenance, really. Or that Marcel wasn’t always so low-maintenance. But neither were true and Eugene didn’t like to lie. Pranks and jokes were one thing—they were funny. But lying only ever got you trouble. Still, Jesse’s profile conveyed his displeasure.

“You don’t have to bring Marcel into everything, you know,” Eugene said. “You're high-maintenance as all hell and we all know it but it’s like I keep saying. I like you just fine anyway. And,” he added quickly, realizing how loaded that sounded, “I know lots of people who’re crazy for you. You’ve got a whole little fan club.”

“I guess,” Jesse’s mood seemed sufficiently improved, even if he tried to sound grumpy. “And I wouldn’t call my fan club _little.”_

Eugene snorted to let Jesse know what he thought of that.

“So, is this a matter of honor or what?” He asked, finally giving in and asking because it didn’t look like Jesse was going to volunteer the information himself.

“What?”

“Eyes on the road, Jess.”

“They are,” Jesse snapped, not so far out of his sulk that he didn’t immediately fall back into it at the slightest bit of teasing.

“_Now _they are.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my driving, you’re just—just doing what you always do.”

“And what's that?”

“Being overly critical of me.”

“Don’t whine. Anyway, like I was saying, did you insist on driving us on this whole adventure to prove that you know how to drive?”

“You just admitted—,”

“I said you know how to drive, that doesn’t mean you’re good at it,” Eugene laughed. Truthfully, Jesse wasn’t _bad_. Eugene hadn’t ever felt like they were likely to crash, and that was more than he could say for some of his friends. But Jesse also wasn’t the best driver. Not wanting to get into a real fight about it, Eugene moved the conversation along. “So tell me about your special circumstances, rich boy. Spending the weekend at home?”

“I—yes,” and Jesse betrayed one of his bad habits, looking over to Eugene for longer than his eyes should be away from the road. It was good to be in the passenger seat, though. If need be, Eugene could grab the wheel.

“I’m going to guess there’s some family stuff happening?”

“Did Nick say?”

“Nah. Just…why else would you be skipping school to be at home?”

“This is kind of—I guess it’s a bit of a secret. So you can’t tell anyone, okay? As far as Marcel or my friends know right now, I’m just needed at home. I’m sure there’ll be rumors tomorrow when I’m not in class but—I wanted to be there. For Nick.”

“What’s going on?”

“You can’t tell anyone.”

“Dude, I know. I wouldn’t.”

“Nick’s mom says she’ll stop fighting Dad. Tomorrow—if she’s telling the truth and everything goes the way it should—tomorrow we’ll get it. Joint custody.”

“So you’re going to court,” Eugene summarized. Jesse nodded. “Nervous?”

“You have no idea,” Jesse breathed out an odd little laugh that shed some light on just how nervous he was.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“I know, but that’s what I thought last time, do you remember?”

“I had no clue what was going on then, but yeah, I remember. And do _you_ remember how everything was fine, just not exactly the way you wanted it? And Nick changed his mind, didn’t he? It’s all worked out so far and I don’t see why it won’t keep working out.”

Eugene had pieced a lot together before he knew Jesse’s entire situation—really, with all the clues both he and Nick accidentally dropped, it hadn’t been hard to guess that something was going on there. Both left-handed fencers, Nick disappearing on weekends, Jesse complaining about Nick constantly…It hadn’t taken a genius to come to the right conclusion. There’d still been times where he didn’t really understand what Jesse was talking about, but in the time since it had become common knowledge that Jesse and Nick were related, Eugene had picked up even more pieces to the puzzle. And Jesse had filled in the gaps, so long as Eugene rationed his questions. Jesse hated talking about anyone but himself for too long. Eugene asking a ton of questions about Nick always pissed him off unless Eugene could make the questions more about Jesse than they were about Nick.

Eugene had gotten good at carefully framing his questions and spreading them out. Now he understood everything. Like that night almost two weeks ago when Jesse had had him on the phone for _five hours_ because Nick was missing. He hadn’t gotten that at the time but he had context for it now. Nick and Seiji had fucked off to his mom’s house to talk about custody or something but Jesse didn’t know where they’d gone and he’d told his dad they were back at school. He’d been dead worried until Nick had come back.

Or those weird texts about something big getting decided that Eugene couldn’t ask about—that had been Nick’s initial decision to turn down the Costes’ offer for joint custody and Jesse had been so upset over it that, during the phone call he’d made to Eugene, he kept saying things that made Eugene think it was over some sort of break up or another rejection from Seiji. _I can’t believe he said no, _Jesse had kept saying.

And now this. A trip to court to finally resolve this issue that Eugene had unwittingly followed the whole time. He knew how much Jesse cared about it, how much he wanted it to work out cleanly and in the exact right way. Eugene thought it was sweet of him, really, to want Nick to be what he considered a proper part of his family so badly.

“I just keep thinking,” Jesse said tightly, “about everything that could go wrong.” No surprises there. And then Jesse’s voice unraveled and he let his worries loose. “You haven’t met Esme—that’s her name, Nick’s mom—but she’s a real piece of work, you know? I told you before that I don’t like her and I _don’t._ Mom and Dad won’t hear it, though. They tell me she’s been through a lot and that I can’t blame her for it because we—or, Dad, really, but me and Mom too, for existing—contributed to that. And I talked to Seiji about it once and he said that he thinks she’s getting better. I don’t think _getting better _is enough but Seiji says that that comes from a place of privilege and that he and I just have to trust Nick’s judgment. But I don’t trust _her_, Gene. I just keep thinking, what if this is her revenge? What if Esme—what if she’s lying? What if this is a ploy to hit Dad’s reputation harder? Make accusations so the court has to, I don’t know, launch an investigation on him? Esme told Nick she’ll let him have this but I don’t believe her. When has she ever let him have anything he wants? She and Dad—they didn’t get into it the other night for Nick’s sake but she _really_ doesn’t like Dad, what if she turns around and—,”

“Jess,” Eugene cut him off. Amazingly, Jesse stopped and took a deep breath instead of rambling on, right over Eugene’s attempt to stop him. “You just answered your own question.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nick’s mom won’t use this to get back at your dad for the same reason she didn’t start a shouting match at Kings Row on Tuesday.”

“What? Oh—for Nick’s sake?”

“Yes.”

“That…actually makes sense,” Jesse let out another long breath. It was no wonder; Eugene didn’t think he got much breathing in when he got like that. Jesse’s next words were more solid, more sure. “Thanks. I just get—,” Jesse took a hand off the wheel to twirl around his head instead.

“Hyper-fixated,” Eugene provided. Thankfully, Jesse’s hand got back to its job. “I know.” It wasn’t the first time Jesse had gone off on a rant that seemed stupid to Eugene. Wasn’t the first time Eugene had given an obvious answer and pulled Jesse out of his spiraling. He’d learned pretty early that Jesse got caught up on things and had trouble seeing all the way around them. The big picture wasn’t something he saw easily. Eugene was good at big-picture stuff. Was good, also, at snapping Jesse out of his fixations. Usually, it took a couple more tries, but maybe Jesse had wanted to be snapped out of it today. Maybe he always did. Maybe that was why he always came to Eugene.

“Yeah,” Jesse said, possibly self-consciously. “So I’m going home tonight. And to court tomorrow. Which is why I was allowed my car this week.”

“You didn’t drive to Exton after the parent night, did you?”

“I did.”

“You said you were just going home,” Eugene didn’t bother to hide the accusation. Jesse was looking over at him again, blinking, completely affronted at Eugene’s tone.

“Wait, no, I _did_ only go home,” he said, glancing back to the road for a second. “I drove to Exton after parent night but not until the morning.” He was still looking at Eugene, surprised but in a different way than his initial uncomprehending alarm. This look was curious and pondering. Eugene knew exactly _what_ it was pondering.

“See,” Eugene said, reaching over and pushing Jesse’s head straight, “_this_ is why I didn’t want you driving your dumb self back to school at one in the fucking morning in a snow storm. You can barely drive in the best of conditions and I kind of prefer you when you’re alive.”

“How sweet,” Jesse rolled his eyes but his sarcasm didn’t hide his smile. Then his smile gave way to a sudden glare. “Hey! I can drive just fine, asshole.”

“Sure. Well, that answers all my questions.”

“What do you mean?”

“It makes sense why you dropped Marcel off first. You’ll be taking Nick to yours tonight, yeah?”

“What? Not a chance. I’m not his chauffeur, Dad’s picking him up. And I bet Seiji’s coming too. God, I hate driving them places, they always sit together in the back, telepathically making out or something.”

“Jesus,” Eugene said.

“I know, it’s repulsive.”

“No, I mean _Jesus,_ you’re spoiled rotten, aren’t you? You’ve got a car, you’re going by Kings Row before you drive home, your little brother needs to go home tonight, too, and happens to be at Kings Row but your dad’s driving out to get him instead? Because, what, you don’t want to?”

“Shut it,” Jesse warned, turning red. Eugene thought it was with anger but then he said, “I didn’t know how late we’d be out and I wanted to tell you about the court thing in person but I couldn’t before because Marcel was here. And we’re trying to keep it on the down-low in case it doesn’t pan out.”

“You don’t have to bring Marcel into everything,” Eugene said, an echo from their earlier conversation, meaning something different here. It was just that he was feeling—not bold, exactly. But…_reckless._ And stupid. He knew it, even as he said it, that he should leave well enough alone. But Jesse’s blush and his determined gaze fixed, for once, out the windshield, and his explanation all added to a larger confession: Jesse had specifically chosen to put in the extra driving and, possibly, thrown a fit to his dad, to ensure he got this time with Eugene and Eugene alone. “Look,” he said, “I like Marcel a lot, having him along is fun. But I can’t think of a single time we’ve hung out without him.”

“I thought you liked it that way,” Jesse said, voice sounding flat from, Eugene could only assume, his efforts to sound normal.

“Not really,” Eugene said, trying to shrug off the feeling Jesse’s flushed face and white knuckles and unnaturally even voice was giving him. “I’d have killed for some alone time with Marcel a couple months back. Hell, I thought specifically of killing _you_ for it, since I couldn’t get anywhere near him without you coming along.” It wasn’t what Jesse wanted to hear. Eugene really shouldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear. It would just make more trouble. “I’m not saying I’d kill Marcel for some alone time with you or anything, I’m just saying I never ended up killing you, either.”

“I’ll remember that,” Jesse said with another bitten back smile. Those smiles were bad news. Then Jesse cleared his throat and, having heard what he wanted to, covered that vulnerability right back up. “I wouldn’t want to accidentally force your hand. Murder is such a nasty business.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Eugene said. He should look away now. But Jesse was the kind of person that existed to be looked at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was supposed to be like 1K  
all of these chapters were supposed to be like 1k  
why can't i seem to write a chapter less than, on average, like four fucking thousand words long????  
if i keep it up this bitch is gonna get to be like half as long as Truths and that was _not_ the plan


	7. Chapter 7

Trouble  
  
**Today,** 7:07 AM   
**Jesse:** heading to the courthouse  
  
**Eugene:** don’t let the wandering lawyers there suck out your soul  
  
**Eugene:** it’s gonna go great 👍🏽  
  
**Jesse:** and if it doesn’t?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** I still give excellent hugs if worst comes to worst  
  
**Eugene:** Don’t stress too much, ok?  
  
**Jesse:** I’d better go. Talk to you after it’s all done  
  
**Eugene:** can’t wait 👍🏽🏆💯  
  
  
  


Eugene kept his phone on him more diligently than usual, ready to abandon class—not much was happening in any of them this close to break—and take a call if need be. But his phone didn’t buzz with a single text all morning. Or during lunch. Or in the afternoon. If Eugene trusted Jesse to have silenced his phone in court, he would have texted to ask what was up. But Jesse was one of those annoying people that often had his volume turned on and if they really were in court—were these things supposed to take eight hours?—he didn’t want to set Jesse’s phone off or anything.

Were cellphones even allowed in court?

“Yo, Eugene! You free tonight?” It was Harry, coming across the courtyard toward him. “Damn, dude, it’s cold as balls, what’re you doing sitting out here?”

Avoiding his masses of friends for a moment, waiting for Jesse to text or call.

“Jordie’s shipping out today, off to Hawaii. I wanted to avoid any touching farewells, you know how it is.”

Harry laughed. “I heard him talking about his three-week tropical retreat in math. Like we haven’t all been.”

“Hawaii’s _such_ a basic vacation spot,” Eugene said, thick in sarcasm. He’d never been, of course, but when in Rome.

“Totally,” Harry agreed, more than likely missing the sarcasm. “So, you free or what?”

“Unfortunately, my good man, the answer tonight is _or what_.”

“Oh, duh. Jordie’s out. Hey, catch you next time, then.”

“Yeah, see ya,” Eugene said, waving him off. Harry departed after some crude and uncreative hand gestures.

Eugene didn’t often choose solitude over going out with any of his friend groups—he liked the chatter and motion and energy of people. But, eventually, Jesse _would_ call and it was easier to have the night free already than ditch his friends in the middle of hanging out to take a call.

Eugene pulled out his phone, checked the time. Jordie should be gone by now.

Jordie _was_ gone, the room blissfully empty. It was a rare opportunity to have the dorm room to himself, especially for so long and with such a strong guarantee of zero interruptions. Usually, Eugene would have taken full advantage. He wasn’t a serial romantic, by any means. Didn’t have a reputation like Aiden’s—Eugene didn’t leave a trail of broken hearts behind him. He got around, sure, but all he left in his wake were fun times and good memories.

Eugene had always attracted friends to him. He was aware that his extroversion and general friendliness drew people to him, made him approachable. Easy to talk to. Easy to be with. Because he didn’t make a big deal of things, didn’t get involved in drama, didn’t say no to a bit of fun when it cropped up. So flirtatious smiles, slipped numbers, and possibilities of all kinds were commonplace to him.

But tonight he didn’t plan to pursue any _possibilities. _In fact, he didn’t feel like filling his room with anyone besides himself this week. He took advantage of Jordie’s absence in other ways, instead: blasting his music and singing along loudly in the shower, taking a full hour afterward to put on pants, _not_ putting on a shirt at all, and watching his ghost hunting videos at full volume.

A loud buzzing filled the room and, for an admittedly stupid second, Eugene thought it was from the show. As soon as he realized its true source, Eugene shut his laptop and set it aside, already accepting the call and bringing his phone to his ear.

“Everything good?” Eugene asked. “It’s been like twelve hours.”

“Yeah—sorry, things got—well, I’ll tell you in a minute but yes! Everything went fine. Or, the custody stuff did. Nick’s officially and legally part of the family! He’s even picked out a room here at home. The one Seiji and I used to hang out in and I’m sure he knows. Whatever, if he wants to make a statement about it, he can. I don’t care because, obviously, I’m over all that.”

“Obviously.”

“Yes. But it just goes to show you how much Nick cares about it. About Seiji, I mean. Wait, where are you?”

“My room,” Eugene said, getting the feeling that he was missing something. That happened a lot with Jesse.

“Is Jordie there?”

“I’m officially Jordie-free until next semester. He left for vacation earlier today.”

“Good, then I can tell you—wait,” Jesse said again, but sharper, somehow suspicious. “You’re not with someone, are you?”

“What? Like who?”

“Like Toby.”

“Who’s Toby?”

“That checker from the headphone place yesterday.”

“You remember his name?”

“You don’t?”

“Alright, reel in the judgment a little there, J-Money. I can’t remember every name, don’t have enough space in my brain for that.”

Jesse snorted and Eugene had to admit he had a point. He’d sounded a bit like Aiden there, hadn’t he? But at least Eugene learned the name of anyone he meant to pursue.

“Anyway, no, I’m alone and all ears. I’m curious if you’re gonna make this a habit. When there’re any big developments in your life I’m actually aware of, you seem to forget how to use your phone for the whole damn day.”

“I couldn’t think of a tactful way to text you without Nick knowing exactly what I was doing.”

“Nick doesn’t want you to tell me about custody?”

“No, but he probably doesn’t want me to tell you about Seiji—,”

“Jesse,” Eugene interrupted firmly. “If you know Nick doesn’t want you telling me something, probably _don’t_ tell me it. Especially if it’s about Seiji. Don’t you know better than that by now?”

“Why are you angry?” Jesse asked, question taken aback and with a hint of hurt.

Eugene checked himself. Had his temper gotten the best of him? Why? With effort, he pushed off the strange anger. So Jesse had some secret about Seiji that Nick didn’t want him talking about. Eugene had thought Jesse was past his weird Seiji fixation and he didn’t like this return to it.

It was only because he didn’t feel comfortable being friends with a stalker.

“I’m not angry,” Eugene said. “I just don’t think you should be telling me things you know you shouldn’t. Nick and Seiji are my friends, I don’t want your gossip on them.”

“You _sound_ angry,” Jesse said in a full pout.

“_You_ sound like you’re going to start up again with that bull about Nick and Seiji faking it just to piss you off,” Eugene fired back, hyperbolic to make his point.

“I was right!” Jesse hollered into the phone. The ringing in Eugene’s ear died down but it didn’t leave his mind.

“What?” It was the appropriate thing to ask. The _only _thing to ask.

“And I thought you’d know about their breakup soon enough so it wouldn’t matter if I told you but Nick’s really cut up about it and I didn’t want to go bringing it up in front of him but if you don’t want me to tell you, fine. I won’t. That’s all I had to say. I should have just texted, sorry for—,”

“Jesse, for fuck’s sake, stop being a drama queen,” Eugene wasn’t feeling patient enough to deal with Jesse’s too-easily-hurt feeling. “I’m sorry I got mad, okay? What’s this about Nick and Seiji breaking up?”

“I shouldn’t say.”

“You already said, so now spit it out and explain.”

Jesse didn’t speak for a minute, no doubt his need to sulk at war with his desire to share his new Seiji information. Finally, he gave in. He told Eugene about the entire day, about the magistrate granting Robert joint custody of Nick, about the happy talk of Christmas plans after, about Seiji blowing up and running out after declaring that he and Nick weren’t dating, about Nick’s explanation, given only after he’d chased after Seiji and come back miserable and empty-handed. It had all been fake. Their whole relationship nothing but an act.

Eugene let out a low whistle. He had _not_ seen that coming.

“Jesus Christ,” he said. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“You said I was crazy,” Jesse said.

“You _were_ crazy.”

“I was right.”

“Still crazy, though.” Eugene flipped back through memories he had of Nick and Seiji. There had been times—things—that simply didn’t add up in any sort of normal way but he’d just thought _they_ were kind of strange. “And they definitely like each other,” Eugene said out loud. “We both thought—it doesn’t make sense that they’re not dating after all.”

“I know. It’s insane. _And_ it’s put a real downer on the day,” Jesse said it like it actually offended him to have what should have been the simple celebration of a months-long issue resolved happily interrupted by this scandal.

Eugene laughed, brief and accidental.

“What?” Jesse demanded.

“Nothing,” Eugene said, glad Jesse wasn’t here to see his smile. It was just that Jesse wasn’t the least bit triumphant over being right. Wasn’t excited at the prospect of Seiji technically still being single. No, he was just put out because it had _put a downer on the day._


	8. Chapter 8

Eugene felt guilty for knowing Nick and Seiji’s business without them having been the ones to tell him. He felt downright sick when he heard Brad asking: _“Have you heard? They’re saying Seiji and Nicholas weren’t really dating…”_ in the lockers after weights on Monday morning. Eugene had told him to knock off the racket but he’d been struck with the uncomfortable thought that it was somehow his fault the news had gotten out. Besides Nick, Seiji, and their families, Eugene was almost certain he was the only one that’d been told. So it left a bad taste in his mouth that, despite all logic and reason, the whole school seemed to know.

And it _was_ the whole school. Whispers of it were everywhere. Eugene didn’t feel right about the entire situation and after lunch, he broke. He grabbed Nick and hauled him away for a talk. He’d have grabbed Seiji, too, if he’d been available.

“I thought you should know,” he started as soon as the door to the empty class he’d invaded fell shut, “that Jess told me but I seriously have no idea how it got out like this.”

Nick just stared at him like a dolt. Did he not get it?

“What got out?” Nick asked. Well, there was that question answered.

“Shit. You don’t know?” How could he miss it?

“No?”

Eugene very much did not want to be the one to break the news but someone had to. It’d get to Nick eventually anyway.

“It’s about you and Seiji. Everyone knows,” Eugene explained, simple and to the point. Nick looked ready to hurl up all the waffle fries he’d stolen from Bobby during lunch. “I don’t know how, I swear it didn’t come from me. I wouldn’t spread that around, you know I wouldn’t. I don’t know who else could’ve known but my roommate left a week early to go vacation in Hawaii so unless someone heard through my phone and the wall, it didn’t come from me.”

Nick took a moment to process. Eugene let him take all the time he needed.

“I know it wasn’t you, don’t worry,” Nick said eventually. His face twisted into one of those expressions that was an upside-down smile, a sideways laugh at something that was anything but funny. “I’m sure Seiji did this.”

Eugene couldn’t stop his wince or the way his mouth formed the only word that came to him: _ouch._ That had got to hurt.

“Sorry, bud, that’s…” fucked up? Shitty? A kick in the nuts? “Damn, that’s cold.”

“It’s complicated,” Nick snapped. Eugene wasn’t even startled to hear the defensive bite in Nick’s voice. The kid was so far gone for Seiji, Eugene expected no less from him. Seiji didn’t deserve Nick’s loyal defense of him in this case as far as Eugene was concerned, but he just nodded. There was no point to getting Nick more upset. “How bad are the rumors?” Nick asked next.

“Just rumors that the whole thing was fake. No details or solid facts.”

“I guess I’d better explain it all to the guys.” Nick sighed, then his face hardened in resolve. “Everyone else can suck my dick and think what they want. I don’t care.”

“Wise words,” Eugene said, weirdly proud of Nick. And then, because tough love was his favorite kind: “Sucks how this all went down but I’ve got to hand it to your brother, that crazy son of a bitch was kind of right all along.”

“I can’t blame him for being suspicious,” Nick kind of laughed. Eugene thought it did him well. From what he’d gathered talking to Jesse, everyone was tiptoeing around it. Eugene found that acknowledging troubles was the best way to deal with them, and the easiest way to acknowledge them was often with a laugh. “Seiji’s a terrible liar,” Nick said, smile turning soft. Yeah, he was _super_ gone for Seiji.

“He had us all fooled in the end, though,” Eugene said as they headed back towards their respective classes. He was sure Nick caught his meaning but he ignored it.

“So,” Nick said, and Eugene recognized that tone of voice as his shit-eating one. “Jess tells you everything, huh?”

The first thing that Eugene noticed was how strange it was to hear Nick call Jesse that. Eugene had never heard anyone call him _Jess_. Except, obviously, Eugene called him Jess all the time. And that had to be the reason Nick had used the nickname. Extra emphasis. Eugene just shrugged, ready to answer that they talked a lot, yeah, but it was whatever.

“Whatever happened to that cute guy from Exton that used to hang around during practice?” Nick asked suddenly, catching Eugene _completely_ off guard. “You still into him?”

“Marcel?” What was Nick asking about Marcel for? Nick nodded, waiting for an answer.

_Am I still into Marcel?_ Eugene wondered. He thought about Marcel and his soft prettiness in everything from face to hands to manner. He was different from any of Eugene’s other flings, that was for sure. They’d had a dance of courtship that went on longer than any other Eugene had engaged in. _It only went on so long because Jesse kept interrupting. _But they’d never gotten past flirtation. They were still always flirting, casual and easy, but it was more of a foundation of their relationship than anything. Marcel was different from the rest because he was the only person Eugene had stayed friends with in a real way after the attraction had passed.

“Nah, we’re just bros,” Eugene answered after too long a pause. He hadn’t properly admitted it to himself before then but Marcel’s lovely hands and sweet eyes didn’t capture him in the way they used to.

Nick nodded like he’d expected this. “I thought you might have moved on to a different Exton boy,” he said. Eugene caught his meaning but ignored it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eugene said, slugging Nick’s shoulder for looking like a prat. Actually, he was starting to see the family resemblance to Jesse with that smug expression on Nick’s face. “And my love life isn’t the one we were talking about.”

“My love life was all fake so we can’t have been talking about it either.”

Eugene didn’t believe the laugh Nick gave before disappearing but there wasn’t anything to be done about that. Nothing Eugene could do about it, in any case. Only Nick and Seiji could solve that whole mess.

Eugene’s phone vibrated in his pocket, distracting him from worries over his freshies. It wasn’t until he had the phone out and was staring at a new message from one of his numerous group chats that he realized he’d been expecting the text to be from a certain Exton boy_._


	9. Chapter 9

Eugene woke up to a harsh and unexpected hum right by his ear. It was a disorienting moment before he recognized it as his phone, somehow shoved up under his pillow directly under his head and tucked up by the wall, both of which had a jarringly amplifying effect on the sound. That explained how it had managed to pull him from sleep. It was winter break and Eugene made a habit of staying up late and sleeping in later the whole time so he was disgruntled to find it so early in the morning.

He thought about ignoring the text, it wasn’t anything particularly important…

Trouble  
  
**Today,** 6:03 AM  
**Jesse:** I’m going to die alone  
  
**Eugene:** no you’re not  
  
**Jesse:** Yes I am  
  
**Jesse:** I can feel it  
  
[ **Eugene has sent an image** ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/d93556507c5f0d3b7befc9a575c7ddfd/4ad1bd1301da2bbc-9f/s500x750/5fe16185f4a6c930856c406d4d78cb8afaea9b9a.jpg)  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** did you seriously just take the time to make that?  
  
**Eugene:** maybe   
  
**Eugene:** for real why’re you being so dramatic so early in the morning. Don’t you have beauty sleep or something?  
  
**Jesse:** Up early to fence with Dad  
  
**Eugene:** That explains why you’re up but why are you being dramatic?  
  
**Jesse:** It’s contagious. Nick’s gloom has permeated every corner of the house  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** Mom thinks it’ll work out between him and Seiji  
  
**Eugene:** duh. We all think that  
  
**Jesse:** I know. It’s just she never thought me and Seiji would make up  
  
**Jesse:** my own mother thinks I’m doomed to live and die alone  
  
**Eugene:** Hakuna your tatas bro. If it comes to it, I’ll just die with you so you won’t be alone  
**Jesse:** Is that a threat?  
  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Eugene:** you know it  
  
**Eugene:** sounds like you need to get out of the house. Escape the gloom  
  
**Jesse:** And do what? Everyone I know is out of state for the break  
  
**Jesse:** Or out of country  
  
**Eugene:** what, I don’t count as someone you know?  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** ha is that an invitation?  
  
**Eugene:** oh for sure 😉🤣 hit me up at 403 W. Morningstar Blvd.  
  
**Jesse:** Maybe I will  
  
**Eugene:** watch out for the moose in the front yard on your way in  
  
**Eugene:** lmao   
  
  
  


When Jesse didn’t respond, Eugene assumed he’d been called back to fencing with his dad—his Snapchat story was always full of snuck selfies with Robert Coste’s disapproving face in the background, presumably telling Jesse to put away the phone. Eugene yawned. It was too early to be alive so he dropped his phone, making sure it was nowhere near a wall and far enough from his pillow so it wouldn’t disturb him, and went back to sleep.

  


* * *

  


The next time Eugene woke up was to Mom’s voice peeking in through the door. He groaned and rolled over to face it, opening bleary eyes and trying to focus them on her.

“What, Ma?” He asked, rubbing a hand across his eyes lazily, in no rush to wake up. “I didn’t hear you.”

“I said,” Mom was smiling at him, lightly amused like she used to look at him when he was a kid and saying something especially dumb, “your friend’s here.”

“What?” Eugene asked dumbly.

“The nice young man you introduced us to at parent night. Jesse. He’s here, did you forget he was coming?”

“What? Shit, give me a second to—I’ll be right out—just—_shit.” _Now he _was_ in a hurry to wake up. Mom laughed and closed the door. He could just hear her saying:

“He’ll be out in a moment, he’d fallen back asleep.”

Jesse.

God fuck.

Had the dumbass actually come?

Eugene should have known better than to joke.

Jesus.

_Jesse._

He was dressed in record speed and hurtling into the living room within five minutes of being woken up. He didn’t trust his family to be alone with Jesse. Part of him hadn’t thought this could be real but there he was, sitting graciously in the armchair with a cup of tea in his hands, smiling at whatever Mom was saying. He stuck out like a sore thumb—all light hair and light skin and crisp manners pulled on for the extra charm. There was some sort of dissonance in seeing him there, framed against the navy plaid of a chair Eugene had pretended was a pirate ship when he was little. Jesse wasn’t supposed to be here. He didn’t fit. But he was here anyway.

“Hey,” Eugene said, and Jesse looked over to him, unabashed. Any notion Eugene had harbored of telling Jesse he’d been joking fell away the moment he saw Jesse’s face.

_Trouble, see? _His mind whispered to him. And it was true enough. Of fucking course Jesse Coste would take his joke seriously and turn up at his doorstep. It was the most inconvenient thing possible so, naturally, it was what he got. But Eugene didn’t want to embarrass Jesse by telling him the invite hadn’t been serious. It would only shut Jesse down and it’d take ages to recover. And that seemed like more trouble than just accepting Jesse’s presence here today.

“Your hair,” Jesse said, a tiny smile—or was it a smirk?—barely distinguishable on his lips.

“What about it?” Eugene asked, running a hand through it haphazardly.

“It’s less fashionable and more bedhead than usual. And that’s saying something.”

“You don’t like it? I’m trying out a new look.”

“It’s definitely a statement,” Jesse said, which answered the question without really answering it. Eugene laughed and let the tension slide off him, let himself pretend this had been the plan all along.

Eugene collected Jesse and his tea, which he refused to discard, and led him back into his bedroom. It was probably the safest place for him at the moment, what with Luna prowling in the living room and glaring at Jesse like he’d been the one to offend her last they’d met. Plus, Mom wouldn’t stop fussing over him. She _loved_ guests and it had been a long time since Eugene had brought anyone around to the house.

“I thought you said you could never face my family again?” Eugene teased once he’d shut the door and cut them off from the goings on of the house at large.

“I thought you said there’d be a moose.”

“Sometimes there is. The boys named it Marcel.”

Jesse looked at him sharply. “Oh? That’s interesting.”

Again, Eugene laughed, waving a hand at Jesse as if it would have any effect in batting off his weird ideas.

“It’s from a picture book they love, no relation to our Marcel. He’s also called Rodrigo—the moose is. It’s—you know what, I’ll show you the book later, it’s a whole thing.”

“Sounds like it.”

Jesse was not subtle in his appraisal of Eugene’s room, scanning it over carefully and taking everything in. He was notoriously nosy but Eugene wasn’t shy. His room wasn’t pristine but its clutter wasn’t overwhelming either. There weren’t any skeletons in his closet for Jesse to find, just sneakers.

“Might as well sit down and get comfortable,” Eugene said, taking his own advice and making up a spot on the bed. Jesse eyed it in its unmade state and then looked at Eugene, expression hard to read. Somewhere between confused and embarrassed but neither one quite fit the emotion playing across his face.

“I’m wearing street clothes,” he said at last.

“Yeah and you look very cute in them, now come sit down.”

“That’s not what I—,” Jesse started, and Eugene was glad to have said it for that blush alone. “I don’t want to get your bed dirty,” he explained, “because I’m not in fresh leisurewear.”

“You think about that?” Eugene asked, somewhat amazed. That kind of detail-oriented thought felt like something Seiji would come up with and Eugene wondered if they were just like-minded in this or if Jesse wasn’t full shit and he’d been close enough with Seiji at some point for that awareness to rub off on him. “Dude, you can only have worn that outfit on the drive here. And anyway, I don’t really care.”

“Alright,” Jesse said but he hovered anxiously over the bed, tea cupped in both hands and eyes set on the bed for another moment before actually sitting. He did so gingerly, settling right at the edge with ramrod straight posture.

“May I?” Eugene asked, reaching for the tea.

“But I—,”

“We both know Mom didn’t put enough cream and sugar in that for your tastes, hand it over. I won’t tell her you didn’t drink it.”

Jesse reluctantly handed over the teacup, flushing again because he hated being called on his pickiness. It didn’t fit the image he wanted Eugene’s mom to have of him. Eugene thought it was kind of funny and kind of sweet that he wanted to impress the family so much, but overall it was pointless. Why jump through hoops to make people like you if you were just gonna put up a front? Better to be yourself and let people do with that what they would.

The little teacup made a _chink_ sound when Eugene put it on the desk by the head of his bed, safely out of the way and in no danger of spilling. With that settled, Eugene snaked an arm around Jesse from behind and grabbed hold of the arm closest to him. Jesse let out a squeak when Eugene gave a hefty tug and hauled him more solidly onto the bed, only letting up on the pull when Jesse was situated by the wall, same as him.

The wall wasn’t the only thing Eugene had pulled Jesse closer to, he realized too late. The position of his hold had meant an angle was achieved in Jesse’s unwilling path across the bed. Eugene had brought him right up against his side, so close that he could feel the warmth of Jesse’s body. So close that Jesse’s arm was against his chest, forcing his torso to twist ever so slightly toward Eugene. He was all wide eyes and parted lips and pink cheeks and _trouble._

When Eugene had someone this close against him, had their face so close to his, it always meant he planned to get a whole lot closer.

“There,” he said, dropping Jesse’s arm and leaning back against the wall, not moving away from Jesse and admitting that he was aware of the minimal space between them. “Now you’re sitting down _and_ comfortable.”

“Right,” Jesse breathed, still looking like a deer in headlights. Then he righted himself, sitting back against the wall instead of leaning awkwardly into Eugene. A nervous little trill escaped him and he caught it with a clearing of his throat. “Right,” he said again, closer to normal than before.

“So,” Eugene said slowly. Jesse hadn’t moved away when he’d straightened out. “Feeling more optimistic about life now?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

It was obvious in the way Jesse held himself completely still that he was hyperaware of the way their arms brushed whenever one of them shifted.

_This is fucking ridiculous,_ Eugene thought, abruptly irritated and amused with himself for letting this all feel so weird.

“You guess,” Eugene prodded, elbowing Jesse gently in the ribs, breaching the divide Jesse had been trying to maintain. “You’re just jealous that someone else has taken the title of most dramatic teenager in the house,” he continued, “but don’t worry. You’ll have your crown back soon.” For good measure, Eugene roughed a hand up into Jesse’s hair and squeezed his fingers against skull in indication of a missing crown.

“Ow,” Jesse said, eyebrows pulled low in displeasure as he shoved Eugene’s arm away. “Gene, that _hurts.”_

Eugene let Jesse free himself. “You’re too fragile,” he said jovially. “I was being gentle.”

“I think you’re too strong to understand that your version of gentle isn’t gentle enough.”

“For you, maybe.”

Jesse elbowed him, pointy elbow right to the gut. He wasn’t in a truly bad mad, just a bit of a huff. And the invisible constraints between them were gone, all weird tension officially abandoned.

“I promise to be _extra_ gentle in the future,” Eugene offered. “You and Nick good?”

“Why wouldn’t we be?”

“I thought there might have been issues over the Seiji thing.”

“You don’t have any faith in me, do you?” Jesse asked, stung. Eugene snorted.

“No, not really. Didn’t you say Nick basically outed you as a stalker? That’s why the whole thing started, yeah?”

Jesse’s frown was something to be seen, sullen and scolded all at once.

“I thoughts so. Did you get in trouble for your stalker ways?”

“I’m _not_ a stalker. But yes, Mom and Dad thought I needed a reminder about boundaries and it was awful. But I know what you’re thinking and you’re wrong. I’ve left Nick alone even though I was right about him and Seiji.”

“But…”

“Fine. _But_ I got him hideous socks for Christmas for getting me lectured.”

“There’s the Jesse I know,” Eugene said approvingly.

“He’s just so sad, you have no idea. He’s like a dementor, it’s bad for my—,”

“If you finish that sentence with _aura_ or _skin, _I’m kicking you out.”

“For my mental health," Jesse said snootily. "It’s depressing. All he does is mope. And when he’s not moping, he’s wallowing.”

“You’re hardly one to talk, dude, you took, what, a year to get over Seiji? And a lot of long, self-pitying, wallowing phone calls to yours truly to manage it at all.”

“Nick’s different.”

“Hypocrite.”

“You know it’s different.”

“You actually willing to admit that Nick’s got a chance in hell of getting Seiji but is too busy moping to see it while you were too—determined, let’s go with that—to see you were doomed?”

“You’re not being gentle.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eugene bumped his shoulder lightly. “Sorry. I know that’s what drove you from the house, I shouldn’t make fun.”

“No,” Jesse said, looking at him strangely, “you shouldn’t.”

“Let’s hear it, then,” Eugene said, ignoring Jesse’s bafflement. He could be considerate, he just didn’t think it was much fun so he didn’t practice it often. But Jesse had said that his mom was rooting for Nick and Seiji when she’d never thought Jesse stood a chance. She was right. But Jesse was sensitive. “Tell me whatever you need to, I’ll be as nice as possible.”

“I don’t like Seiji. Not like that. Not anymore.”

“I know.” Eugene did.

“But it still kind of sucks that everyone thinks I’m not good enough for Seiji.”

“Not_ right_ for Seiji,” Eugene corrected.

“Whatever. I know,” Jesse sighed, his head thumping against the wall. “But Nick is, isn’t he? Right for Seiji. And good for him. And I’m just…”

“Alone?”

“Yeah. I think they’ll work it out, don’t you? Eventually, they’ve got to, right?”

“Do you want them to?”

“Of course I do. Nick’s doom and gloom routine is getting old. Anyway, them being alone doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Eugene nodded. It was strange to be able to see Jesse when they talked like this. Usually, this unloading and sort-of comforting was done over the phone. Did Jesse always look a little self-conscious when he complained or was it this specific topic? Or was it that he was aware Eugene was watching him this time?

“You won’t be alone forever,” Eugene offered slowly, trying to work out how best to proceed without making a mess of things.

“I just want to be someone’s first choice.”

“And your fan club isn’t enough for you?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Sure I do. You want to be someone’s first choice but you’re too picky to settle for any of the boys that’d cut off their right arm to date you.”

Jesse looked momentarily smug at the mention of his adoring fans. He liked to be reminded how popular he was. But the victory on his face was fleeting.

“I know what you mean,” Eugene said. “Being someone’s priority only means anything if they actually know you.”

Jesse nodded before pulling his head from the wall, sitting up a little straighter. “Thanks for listening, I know you’re probably sick of this but all the stuff with Nick’s gotten me thinking about how grossly perfect they are for each other. And if they’re not even together, what chance do I have of getting that when I never seem to _fit_ with anyone?”

“You’re not unlovable if that’s where you’re going with this bullshit.”

“I wasn’t,” Jesse snapped. Eugene didn’t believe him.

“Yeah, well, good. Because that’d be a stupid thing to think.”

A soft knock at the door interrupted Jesse before he could respond and Mom poked her head in.

“Eugene, do you have any requests for dinner? I’m about to go to the store so now’s the time to tell me.”

Eugene sat up, hopeful. “Could we have arroz caldo?” He asked.

“I should have known,” she smiled like it was a joke but there was no way she _hadn’t_ known what Eugene would request. He always requested the same thing.

“So, yeah?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Eugene pumped a fist in victory and Mom laughed, starting to back out of the room.

“Oh, and Jesse, you’re welcome to stay for dinner if you’d like. We’re always happy to have you.”

Eugene liked a lot of things about his mom but this was one of his favorites. She made everyone feel welcome, adding them into her world like they belonged there, like they’d always been there. _We’re always happy to have you._ As if Jesse was a returning guest instead of a first-time visitor.

Jesse only had time to offer a surprised _Thank you, Mrs. Labao_ before the door clicked softly shut. Another thing Eugene liked about Mom: she respected privacy. He’d never been told to keep his door open three inches when he had people in it. Granted, he didn’t often have people in _this_ room but the point remained.

“What is that? The…arose caldo thing?” Jesse asked, politely curious.

“Bro," Eugene said, turning to him. "You haven’t lived. You have _got_ to stay for dinner, I promise you won’t regret it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can click the picture to make it bigger in case you couldn't infer what it said just from knowing the meme lmao  

> 
> this is a secret message to say that I put wayyyy too much effort into the buzzfeed unsolved meme. There were LAYERS to that. First I checked to make sure that episode had aired by 2018 and then for authenticity I edited the meme on my phone like Eugene would have AND I fuckin looked at his lil note to Coach for handwriting reference (in my defense, writing in your own handwriting on a phone screen is hard ok? I did my best). Thanks for coming to my secret tedtalk


	10. Chapter 10

Time passed strangely with Jesse. Faster than it ought to have but with odd intermitting moments that stuck in Eugene’s mind as having taken ages to pass when they could only have been seconds. And the sun started setting too soon, stolen from the winter sky earlier than Eugene had expected.

With a glance down at his phone, Eugene saw that the light filtering through his window wasn’t lying; it really was getting late. With a stretch, he hauled himself off the bed. He didn’t miss Jesse’s quickly averted eyes. He also hadn’t missed the way they’d tracked his movement with keen interest before remembering themselves and skirting away guiltily.

“Mom’ll be starting dinner soon and I’m trying to master her recipe so I’m gonna help,” Eugene explained as he headed for the door.

“I’ll help too,” Jesse said, getting to his feet at once. Eugene shrugged.

“If you insist,” he gestured for Jesse to follow him. But, of course, Jesse already was. “I have just the job for you.” Then, once in the sitting room: “Yo, where’s the moose book?”

Three heads turned to him on cue. Eugene grabbed Jesse’s wrist and dragged him into the thick of things.

“Jesse’s never read it, how ‘bout you lot pull it out and show it to him?”

“I’m too old for storytime,” Junior piped up. Marcus nodded in solidarity. Fritz scampered off to find _This Moose Belongs to Me. _Eugene knew they’d all stick around to hear the story, despite what the older two said.

“Eugene,” Jesse hissed, the panic in his voice mirrored in his eyes. Eugene grinned at him, shoving him over to the couch. Fritz was back, book in hand, and Jesse didn’t have any more time to protest.

Mom patted Jesse’s knee before leaving the couch and its occupants. The kids were too excited about the idea of sharing their book with Jesse to put up a fuss at Mom abandoning them.

Eugene hesitated before heading to the kitchen after her, unable to resist watching Jesse for a second as he dubiously took the book Fritz thrust on him. He looked again to Eugene, clearly asking what he was meant to do. Eugene made a face and pantomimed opening a book. _Come on, _the gesture demanded, _it’s not that complicated. Just read the damn book. _

With one last helpless glance, Jesse turned his attention to the book and read the title like he expected to be told he was doing it wrong.

“Look,” Fritz interrupted, jabbing a finger at the cover, “he’s drinking the water.”

“Right,” Jesse said, more dubious than ever. “He…certainly _is_ drinking that water.”

Eugene laughed, earning him a quick glare before Jesse opened the book. Then Eugene left the boys to it—and Luna, too, though she was deep in her phone and not paying attention at all—and finally stopped dawdling on his way to the kitchen.

  


* * *

  


Apparently, Eugene’s little brothers had all decided Jesse was tolerable during the hour they’d had him while Eugene and Mom got dinner on. Eugene had come back to the living room to find them all squished onto the couch, an array of books scattered on the coffee table that they couldn’t possibly have had time to read properly before they got distracted with the current task: teaching Jesse how to play _Fortnite_. Jesse wasn’t learning much of anything; he wasn’t allowed to hold the control for longer than three seconds before one of the boys grabbed it, declaring: “Here, let me show you!” or “No, not like that!” or “I’ll just do it for you.”

“Having fun?” Eugene asked. “Budge up, I want in on this.”

“There’s nowhere to go,” Junior said, “you can sit on the floor or something.”

“How about I just sit on you?” Eugene advanced towards them and Fritz, knowing Eugene didn’t bluff on these things, dove onto Jesse’s lap for refuge.

Jesse’s face was comical in his alarm but, other than an _oof_ at the sudden and none too gentle weight dropped on him, he didn’t protest. Eugene shouldered into his abandoned spot, still partially squashing Junior, which had been the plan. It was a tight fit and Eugene swung an arm up on the back of the couch. Jesse made another sound, smaller and possibly even more alarmed than the last one when Eugene’s arm landed around his shoulders. He looked like he wasn’t used to such blatant disregard for personal space.

“You good?” Eugene asked directly into Jesse’s ear. He nodded stiffly.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Thanks for keeping the little buggers busy.” _The little buggers_ were now fighting over the remote, the original purpose—teaching Jesse—now completely forgotten. “It was a big help.”

With that, he commandeered the Switch controller and convinced Luna to toss him the TV remote. There was a new _Transformers_ movie he’d wanted to see but had missed in theaters. With a final click and a lot of complaints from all of his siblings, he put it on. They complained again when they were called to dinner and had to turn it off, though, so Eugene’s thesis was proven correct: robots were fucking cool and everybody liked them. Even Jesse—who was always complaining that action movies were boring—had gotten so engrossed in it that he’d forgotten to be uncomfortable about his lack of personal space, arms wrapping around Fritz subconsciously to steady him and body relaxing into Eugene’s side, curving into him absently. He’d quickly corrected his posture when Dad shouted for them to come eat and he’d realized that he’d been leaning into Eugene for almost an hour.

Dinner itself was great—arroz caldo always was and Eugene was triumphant when Jesse gratefully accepted seconds. Conversation stayed on safe topics the whole time and Jesse had his easy and confident charm back as soon as he let himself relax into the cluttered cadence of a Labao family dinner.

“No, no, you’re a guest,” Mom said when the meal concluded. “Eugene, take those bowls from Jesse please.”

“I’m happy to help—,”

“Sorry, bud, Boss Lady says I’m taking those from you,” Eugene stole Jesse’s armload of dishes, “so that’s what I’m doing. She has precedence.”

“You can come play with us!” Marcus suggested.

“No can do, it’s bathtime for you three,” Dad said, catching Marcus by the scruff and directing him to the stairs.

“But I don’t want a bath,” Fritz moaned.

“We haven’t even finished the movie!”

“I’m taking a shower, I’m too big for baths with Fritz and Marcus,” Junior said. Loudly. Probably so Jesse knew how grown up he was. Eugene shook his head fondly after his brothers as they galloped upstairs.

“I’ll only be a minute, you go relax in the living room,” he said to Jesse, who’d also been smiling after the bathtime procession. Jesse relented with a little nod to Eugene and went to sit down out of the way.

Eugene liked to help clean up from dinner when he was around. It wasn’t that he felt any more obligated to help than his siblings; they all had chore charts and expectations. It was just that Eugene liked to show his thanks through action. He knew that tuition wasn’t cheap and he appreciated the lengths Mom and Dad went to in order to afford it. And helping around the house was a good way to let them know he appreciated all they did for him.

“I’ve got it tonight, Gene,” Mom said, trying to shoo him from the kitchen, same as she had when he’d come in to cook with her. “Go entertain your friend.”

“He’s fine,” Eugene dismissed. And he continued to rebuff her efforts to absolve him from helping tonight as they moved comfortably around each other to clear plates, put away leftovers, and tidy the table.

“Take out the trash and then go attend to Jesse,” she told him after most everything was put back in order. “It’s rude to leave him alone so long.”

“Fine, okay,” Eugene said only because she’d tell him off for manners if he refused her again.

It was bitingly cold outside but it hadn’t snowed all day. The roads should still be clear by the time Jesse left, by the looks of it.

Back inside, Eugene kicked off his boots and headed to _attend _to Jesse. He thought Jesse would get a kick out of that phrasing. Probably he’d like it, it made him sound important and above everyone else.

“Gene?” Mom called. “One last thing, your dad left his phone here, could you run it up to him?”

“Sure thing,” Eugene said, scooping up the phone and diverting to the stairs. He didn’t make it that far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the moose book is quality literature


	11. Chapter 11

It was Jesse’s voice that caught Eugene’s attention.

“Can I ask you,” Jesse was asking, not precisely harsh, but hard. Determined. His taking-no-nonsense voice. Eugene migrated nearer the living room to listen, ready to jump in if needed. He kind of expected it to be needed with Jesse sounding like that. “Is there anything in particular I’ve done to offend you? Or is it just my existence in general you take issue with?”

“Who says I care enough to feel any way at all about your existence?” Luna sneered back. Of course it was Luna. Eugene was already devising ways to intervene and defuse the situation.

“It seems to me that you have a singular dislike for me and I’d like to know why. I can’t think of anything I’ve done to earn that from you.”

“I just don’t like. You seem like a two-faced liar, that’s all.”

Eugene closed his eyes, tried not to get riled up. Going in with a temper would only escalate things the way it had two weeks ago at parent night. It baffled him that this kept happening, that Luna had decided she had a vendetta against Jesse. The _one_ friend he actually cared to introduce to the lot of them and they’d chased him off. Well, Luna had. Still, it had troubled him that his family had somehow befriended Nick and Seiji—_Seiji_ for fuck’s sake—without Eugene even being there but they hadn’t been able to behave for half an hour when he’d brought Jesse over.

They’d been doing so well today, too…But then, Luna had only decided to start talking just now. Trying her best to chase Jesse off again, it sounded like. Because Jesse couldn’t _ever_ keep his mouth shut and had had to go asking for trouble. It was like they were conspiring to give Eugene a headache.

“A two-faced liar?” Jesse repeated, indignant. “How do you come up with that?”

“It’s like how you act all nice to Mom but I know you’re not. Do you think Gene would like the tone you’re taking with me right now?”

“I seem to recall Gene scolding _you_ for talking to me rudely, actually.”

A steely silence replaced conversation and Eugene could imagine the stare-off they were having in there. He didn’t dare go in now, didn’t dare pick sides. He was starting to see the shape of the tension between them, and it looked a lot like him.

“He never tells us off over stuff like that,” Luna said testily. “And he doesn’t bring people home. And he _never_ introduces his friends to Mom, she does that all on her own. So why are you special?”

“You’ll have to ask him that. I wouldn’t know, would I?”

“I’m not stupid, I know Eugene’s got a weakness for pretty things like you, I just don’t know what he actually _sees _in you.”

Eugene could not _believe_ Luna. He was going to kill her. He was going to go in there right now and pick her up and forcibly put her in her room rip off the doorknob so she could never get out. He could not believe she was really this stupid. But before he could make a move, hostile or otherwise, Jesse released a high laugh that grated at his ears.

“Oh, Is that what you’ve got against me? You think I’m some sort of harlot that’s seduced your brother? I’d tell you we were only friends if it was any of your business.”

“He hasn’t brought anyone around pretty much since he started at Kings Row, now he keeps all his friends there.”

“I’m not from Kings Row,” Jesse reminded her peevishly, “so I can’t very well be kept there, can I?”

“See, this is why I think you’re a dick. You keep talking like I’m an idiot.”

“And you keep acting like I’m a villain. I’m sorry, but I’m in Eugene’s life and I’m not leaving just because you don’t like it. And mind your language, you’re too young to be saying such vulgar words.”

“_Dick_,” Luna said with feeling.

“I’m not stealing him from you, okay? As if I could,” Jesse’s sigh was punctuated with irritation. “But I think you need to learn a thing or two about sharing.”

Jesse had seen what this was about at the roots, too, then. Eugene could have kicked himself. Luna hated when he told her off in general. He was only three years older than her and she didn’t think that was a sizable difference. She resented him parenting her and he didn’t often do it. They’d always been more like friends. Best friends. The adventures they’d gone on as kids had started turning Mom’s hair gray. And, sure, Eugene had gone off to Kings Row and Luna had grown up and found she didn’t really like adventures anymore but that didn’t matter. They still always had each other’s backs, which made it a grave offense by her account for Eugene to side against her in anything. A worse offense to be the person he sided with.

Luna might have forgiven _Eugene_ for the rebuke he’d delivered over her rudeness to Jesse but he should have guessed she wouldn’t forgive Jesse for it nearly so easily.

“You’re trying to,” Luna accused. “You want to steal him, that’s the only reason you’re playing nice.”

“Actually, that’s just called manners. And, honestly, I’m surprised you care. You don’t seem to like Eugene much.” As soon as he’d finished saying it, Jesse gasped. Eugene’s brain had to backtrack to figure out what had happened—the _fwoosh_ of pages in a breeze and then the gasp and then a muffled _thump_. Luna had thrown a book at him. Jesse had deserved it.

“Two-face,” she hissed. “Gene’ll see what you really are and then you’ll be out.”

“He already sees what I am,” Jesse shot back. “And he likes me fine anyway.”

Luna didn’t have any way to refute that so she stayed quiet. Eugene was running through strategies to fix this. Or to get Luna and Jesse away from each other without it coming to literal blows. He was calm enough to go in now, a little pissed at both of them but feeling strangely fond of them both too.

“I _do_ like Eugene,” Luna said, childish and pouting.

“So do I.”

“I don’t see why he likes you so much.”

“I’m persistent. And he’s tolerant.”

“He is, isn’t he?”

“I could do without all his noogies, though.”

“Those are the worst,” Luna agreed.

Eugene listened, dumbfounded, as they conversed pleasantly about their hatred of knuckle rubs—his, specifically—and then as Jesse complimented Luna’s headphones.

“My favorites broke,” he said mournfully after Luna told him that these ones were _her_ favorites.

“Can you fix them? Sometimes you can fix them, have you looked it up?”

“They’re beyond salvaging. I can’t find another pair that’s even close to as good.”

And they went on, all antagonism forgotten. Left behind? Eugene decided to trust they were done fighting for the night. Delivering the phone to his dad, he wondered if they’d needed to butt heads and establish their positions as Eugene’s favorites. Luna was his favorite sister—he only had the one, so far as he knew. And Jesse was…Jesse was a favorite, too. He wouldn’t be here otherwise, even if Eugene had only invited him as a joke. Luna wasn’t used to favorites existing outside of the family. Hopefully, they’d made their peace because it was a hard thing to resolve fights when both parties were dipshits. Dipshits that he cared about rather a lot.


	12. Chapter 12

“Gene, have you seen my phone?” Jesse called when Eugene was halfway down the stairs, sleeves rolled up over his elbows. Not that it had saved them from getting a bit soggy. Not that anything could save you from getting splashed when you got roped into helping with bathtime. And he had; gotten roped in _and_ gotten soggy.

“Why would I have seen your phone?” Eugene asked, watching Jesse fish in the couch cushions. He straightened and placed his hands on his hips, looking cross.

“I’ve lost it.” Those three words implied a lot beyond what they stated. _So you should help me find it,_ was the main gist of all of them. Eugene considered being an asshole for a bit longer and drawing the process out.

But he pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped efficiently at the screen without making Jesse work for it. A moment later, loud singing started to blare. Luna’s scoff sounded like a laugh. Jesse glowered before stomping down the hall to the source of the sound and Eugene trailed after Jesse into his open room. Habit made him close the door now that he was in here.

Jesse’s phone was there on the bed, forgotten for hours. He swiped it up and hung up with hostility, like it would hurt Eugene’s feelings that he wasn’t picking up the call when they were five feet apart.

“I can’t believe you haven’t changed that ringtone,” Eugene said, making no effort to conceal his amusement. He’d set it as a joke ages ago to embarrass Jesse the next time he called because the dumbass never turned off his volume. He hadn’t really expected Jesse to keep it.

“I haven’t gotten around to it,” Jesse mumbled, flicking his volume off too late.

“Seriously, no one keeps my excellent ringtone selections for longer than a day. Anyone else would have changed it by now,” Eugene was speaking through light laughter but it ceased as Jesse’s face went from bad to worse. Eugene realized his mistake before Jesse even spoke, tight and bitter.

“Is that so? I’ll change it right now, then. I wouldn’t want to deviate too far from what everyone else does.”

“You’re honestly impossible,” Eugene said, catching Jesse’s wrist so he couldn’t mess about with his ringtones. Jesse’s skin felt warm and smooth against Eugene’s fingers, cold from neglecting to dry them properly. “You should keep it.”

“No.”

“If it makes you feel better, I gave you a better song than I’ve given anyone else.”

“I’m not upset that you’ve programmed your ringtone into other people’s phones.”

“You’re a worse liar than Seiji. For real, I promise _Bromance_ was from the heart. I picked it out special just for you.”

Eugene knew it was as ridiculous for him to try placating Jesse over this as it was for Jesse to be upset over it in the first place but he couldn’t help it. Jesse was crazy easy to offend and Eugene had fun poking at him but he always seemed to end up here, smoothing down Jesse’s feelings. He didn’t want Jesse to throw a fit over this, didn’t want him changing that dumb ringtone now that he knew he’d kept it.

The memory of Jesse’s ire that first time Eugene had called after breaking into his phone was still hilarious—he’d apparently been with Nick and still got shit over it. No wonder he still got shit over it; he still had it and his volume was still always on.

Jesse’s glower melted to a pout and he snapped his wrist out of Eugene’s hand.

“Whatever,” he said, pocketing his phone.

“Yeah, whatever,” Eugene said, feeling triumphant.

“I’m almost scared to ask what your other victims got if _Bromance_ counts as quality music in your mind.”

“They’re _hilarious_. My buddy Hector’s went off in class because I set it as his general ringtone. It was that one with Vladimir Putin singing about being gay. He almost got detention over it.”

“Oh wow, I guess you were nice to me, all things considered.”

“I’m always nice to you.”

Jesse made a sound that was derisive and dismissive. But he looked sufficiently pleased.

“I should probably get home.”

“Probably,” Eugene conceded, looking out the window. It still wasn’t snowing.

“I…thanks for having me over.”

“Yeah, for sure. And hey, now you know what good food tastes like.”

“What was it called again?”

“Arroz caldo.”

“Arrows caldo,” Jesse repeated. Eugene laughed.

“Dude you’re so white. _Arroz_ _caldo,”_ he said again. Jesse went pink-cheeked.

“Arroz caldo?” He looked to Eugene for approval on his pronunciation. Eugene nodded. “Well, I liked it.”

“Good, I can be friends with rich white boys but only if they’ve got at least some taste. You’ll have to come by again, we’ve got lots of great food.”

“I’d like that,” Jesse said quietly, smile small and sweet.

_Pretty. _

“I’ll let you get on the road before the weather turns,” Eugene said a little abruptly. He opened his door and held it for Jesse. “The boys’ll want to say goodbye.”

“You think so?”

“No question. They like you, didn’t you notice?”

“Do they? I’m glad, I—they’re good kids.”

“Pains in my ass but I love them,” Eugene concurred, glad as he always was when someone liked his siblings. Glad especially that Jesse did.

“You’re a really good brother.”

“I know. We match.”

“Are you insane? I’m nowhere near as good at this as you are.”

“Years of practice,” Eugene said, a hand finding its way to Jesse’s shoulder blade, encouraging him to keep moving. “And there’s different ways to be good. You’re good for Nick. I’m good for my miscreants. So there.”

Together, they stepped into the living room and Mom, with her Spidey sense over houseguests, knew at once Jesse was leaving and stood up to meet them.

Jesse thanked her and Dad for their hospitality, perfectly pronouncing _arroz caldo_ when he complimented Mom on her cooking, and even managed to obtain a civil ‘bye’ from Luna. The boys came thundering down the stairs when Dad called up that Jesse was leaving and Eugene caught them, whispering into their ears and receiving mischievous grins in return. They charged Jesse fearlessly and tackled him, laughing maniacally all the while.

Jesse gasped, stumbled. His expression was alarmed and his posture was stiff and unsure. But he only floundered momentarily. Right as Eugene started laughing, Jesse’s panic faded and he laughed, too, saying his goodbyes to the boys while they hung off him like monkeys.

Watching Jesse trying to untangle himself from Junior, Marcus, and Fritz pleased Eugene immensely. It was hilarious but it was something else too. It was…warm. It was Jesse’s smile, that one that was so obviously bigger than Jesse would let show. It was Jesse’s relentless attempts to impress Mom and Dad. It was that stupid fucking ringtone that Jesse had kept for a month. It was something more than all of that.

Eugene had all the pieces to this particular puzzle but he didn’t feel like putting them together just yet.

“Alright,” Eugene said, peeling Fritz off of Jesse’s shoulders. “Jesse’s got a long drive back home, come on, off with you.”

With disappointed noises, they let him go. And, after another round of goodbyes, Jesse retreated to the front door.

“You don’t have to,” he started when he realized Eugene was tugging on his boots. Eugene flapped a hand at him.

“Don’t be difficult.”

“Okay.” Jesse pulled on his coat, smiling again. That damn smile.

“You’ll text me when you get home.”

“Of course I will.”

“Good luck with your resident dementor.”

Jesse laughed. He was laughing a lot today, especially considering his melancholy this afternoon.

“Thanks, I’ll need it.”

Eugene’s phone vibrated with a text as they stepped outside. He checked it in case it was Mom offering advice on what roads to avoid. It wasn’t anything so helpful.

THE NICKSTER  
  
**Today,** 8:20 PM  
**Eugene:** Hey, when you take a break from wallowing in self-pity, shoot me a text. I’ve got a question for you  
  
**Today,** 8:56 PM  
**Nick:** Yea, Jesse’s single ;)  
  
**Nick:** Also missing  
  
**Nick:** What did you actually want?  
  


“What’s that?” Jesse asked.

“Nothing. Just my dumbshit friend.” Eugene put the phone away before Jesse had a chance to try reading it upside-down. He was nosy enough to try. “Drive safe, yeah?”

“I’m a perfectly good driver.”

“Uh-huh.” Eugene got hit on the arm for his moxie.

“I guess I’ll see you next year,” Jesse said, clicking open his door. Eugene tried not to laugh at his terrible and overused joke. A small one got out anyway.

“Yeah. Merry Christmas and all that, J-Money.”

“Stop calling me that, it’s atrocious.”

“Merry Christmas, Jesse Bear.”

“You can call me _Jesse Bear_ as soon as you start calling Marcel _Marcel the Moose.”_

“I thought it was cute, I saw that you read at least two pages of our entire _Jesse Bear _collection.”

“I’m leaving,” Jesse said, situating himself in his car to prove that he wasn’t kidding. Eugene leaned in after him, hand on the roof right next to the door.

“Drive safe, text me when you’re home, and Merry Christmas, Jess.”

“Merry Christmas, Gene.”

Eugene watched Jesse’s flashy silver car pull off the curb and disappear down the street. When he was sure Jesse was on his way, he turned back to the house.

“What a nice young man,” Mom said when he got inside, closing the door on the cold. “I like him.”

“You like everyone,” Eugene told her. But he was smiling.


	13. Chapter 13

Trouble  
  
**Today,** 11:00 PM  
**Jesse:** I’m home  
  
**Eugene:** 👌🏽  
  
**Jesse:** No moose sightings at all 😞  
  
**Eugene:** Disappointing. I’ll tell the mother lord to snap some pics for you the next time Marcel-Rodrigo stops by  
  
**Jesse:** that would be much appreciated  
  
**Eugene:** yeah   
  
**Eugene:** it’s late and you’ve been up since at least 6 in the fucking morning so I’ll let you get to your beauty sleep  
  
  
  


Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** you make fun but when was the last time you saw me with bags under my eyes?  
  
**Eugene:** Did I ever imply your beauty sleep wasn’t making you the most beautiful boy in all the land? Because I’m pretty sure all I was doing was making fun of it  
  
**Eugene:** get all tucked into your canopy bed, I’ll talk to ya in the morning  
  
**Jesse:** Mom wouldn’t let me get a canopy bed, she says they’re a fire hazard  
  
**Jesse:** (I only wanted one when I was like 6 so shut up)  
  
**Eugene:** 🤐  
  
  
  


Eugene wasn’t actually _shutting up_ in the way Jesse had meant. Just because Jesse wasn’t here to see it didn’t mean Eugene wasn’t laughing to himself as he considered the idea of Jesse’s campaign for a canopy bed. He imagined it had been a big argument—Jesse threw the worst tantrums and they only got worse until he got what he wanted. The cumulating fit from _not _getting what he wanted must have been spectacular. Especially since six-year-old Jesse wouldn’t have had the constraints of sixteen-year-old Jesse and would certainly have been shrieking and wailing to the fullest extent of his lungs. His poor mom.

Eugene had never met Samantha Coste. A frown caught him as he wondered if he ought to have gone and introduced himself at parent night. It seemed rude in retrospect to have stolen Jesse without bothering to say hi to his family. Especially since he’d dragged Jesse right into the middle of his. Twice now. Well, once and a half. Jesse had dived in all on his own today.

Without meaning to, Eugene’s mind slipped to Jesse covering his mouth to hide a laugh Marcus had summoned in him right after he’d taken a big bite of arroz caldo. Next was the briefly glanced image of Jesse curled neatly in the corner chair, talking with Luna peacefully. And then a new text buzzed in.

Trouble  
  
**Jesse:** Well then, goodnight  
  
**Eugene:** Night, love you 💤  
  
**Eugene:** oh shit lmao was talking to mom and got my wires crossed 🤣  
  
**Jesse:** haha asking for those moose pictures?  
  
**Eugene:** yup   
  
**Eugene:** goodnight for real ✌🏽  
  
  
  


“Jesus Christ,” Eugene said emphatically, dropping his phone on his bed like a hot coal. He couldn’t believe he’d actually sent that. He eyed the phone suspiciously, as if this was all its fault. As if it had tricked him.

Eugene _had _gotten his wires crossed even if he was alone in his room, very much not talking to Mom. He’d said goodnight to the whole crew ages ago, mostly to escape any Jesse related questions—questions he knew every single member of his family had.

The thing was, Eugene had a lot of people he liked. Mostly, his friends were within a ten-minute walk of wherever he was. Those in the neighborhood stayed in the neighborhood, those at school stayed at school. There were a limited amount of people that carried over between his worlds. That’s why he had friends everywhere, it made it easier than toting the same ones between all the different places or interests he inhabited. Eugene _had _a lot of people. And he liked them all.

_Eugene’s people_, though, were his family. His family were the people he loved most. Texting them, it was second nature to sign off with hearts and _love you_s because he didn’t see them on the daily most of the year. And when you didn’t get to see your people to show them you loved them—even when they got annoying or nosy or sulky—you just had to tell them instead.

He’d gotten his wires crossed with Jesse. For a second, he’d stopped paying attention. For a second, his fingers had been on autopilot. For a second, Jesse had felt like someone closer to _Eugene’s people _than just his…people. He’d thought of Jesse here, in his home, and his damned stupid fingers had gotten it all mixed up.

“I’ve got it under control,” Eugene said to his empty room. He could recall perfectly where Jesse had sat on this bed a couple hours ago, could just make out the scent of Jesse’s hair pressed into the sweater he hadn’t bothered to change out of yet. _Okay, so obviously it got out of control_…

“But I’m gonna wrestle it back under control,” he told himself sternly. Because what other option was there?

Eugene didn’t like troublesome things. He didn’t like the maintenance of people who couldn’t roll with the punches. What Eugene liked was simple. Fun and easy and low-stress and even lower stakes. He didn’t do commitment. He didn’t like people—didn’t get interested in people—who needed more than he was willing to give them. A night. A wink. A kiss behind the field house. Attraction more than affection. That’s what he liked.

Everyone knew better than to try and tie him down, even the people he’d just met. He was always upfront about his intentions, was always clear that he wasn’t looking for serious. Didn’t want feelings or strings attached to any of it.

_Here for a good time, not a long time, _a girl last year had described it. Eugene thought it was a douchey tagline so he didn’t much like it.

_Just a good guy looking for a good time, _a boy he’d picked up over the summer had laughed into his ear after he’d made sure—he always made sure—that this boy knew what Eugene was about. It wasn’t how he’d describe himself but the casual, unconcerned way Kyle had said it captured the gist of the so-called romances Eugene preferred.

Casual.

Unconcerned.

He didn’t care to get all tangled up in strings. Got irritated by anyone that got too needy, too sensitive, too high-strung. Eugene didn’t like anything that was too much trouble.

With a groan, Eugene tore out his earbuds and decided he’d better get some z’s before he went completely fucking insane. Cramming an arm up under his pillow and getting comfortable, Eugene reached for his phone again. He checked it, just to prove that he could and he wasn’t worried about it—Jesse had not responded further—and then settled in to sleep, much earlier than was his habit over breaks.

He dreamed of clear blue eyes and buttercup blond hair caught up in his fingers.


	14. Chapter 14

Eugene had said goodbye to his brothers last night so they wouldn’t have to wake early to see him off. But Luna was up, huddled under a blanket and hunkered on the couch when Eugene came out with his bags. She glanced up from her phone like she was completely uninterested that he was here. Luna was a total night owl, so unless she’d yet to go to bed, her presence in this room so early wasn’t coincidental. He’d said goodbye to her last night same as the boys.

“Hey, Lunes,” he greeted her.

“Hey.”

“Halebrooke starts up again tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m the only one with school in the morning and it sucks.”

“I’ve got school tomorrow too,” he told her, dropping his bags so he could go give her a knuckle rub. She got him back by pinching his hand before it got away—and she had no mercy about pinching.

“You don’t count.”

“It’s not the same without a suffer-buddy in the morning,” he agreed with a knowing nod.

She shrugged. Then, glaring down at her phone, “You usually don’t leave until noon.”

“Catching up with some friends before school starts, li’l sis, but I’ll be back in February for ski break.”

“I hate your school.”

“I know,” Eugene said with a grin. Kings Row was so posh they got a long weekend in the middle of February for _skiing._ And skiing was far from the biggest hobby at Kings Row. “I get to spend two whole days laughing at you guys when you have to go to bed early for school.”

“You’re the worst.”

“But you’ll miss me.”

“That’s what you think.”

“Yeah, duh, I just said.”

Luna made a face at him. Usually, such an offense would be met with squashing, wrestling, headlocks, or something in the same spirit. He was feeling generous, though, so he only stole her blanket.

“I think I’ll take this as a souvenir,” he said, “something to remember you by.”

“Are you ready to head out, little man?” Dad asked from the entrance hall. He must have been out in the car already.

“Just about,” Eugene called. “Can I get a hug?” He asked Luna.

She made another face. But she stood up and trudged over to him. He hugged her extra tight because she’d gotten up to say bye again. She tolerated it for longer than usual before her _I’m too cool for hugs and brothers_ character trait kicked in and she wiggled out of his hold

“Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone. And if you do, text me about it.”

“Can’t make me.”

“Watch me.”

“Bye, Gene.”

“See you later, Luna.”

Eugene was just about to turn back to his luggage and start gathering it up again when Luna spoke again, voice innocent and unassuming.

“I hope he likes them.”

There wasn’t much she could be referring to and he glanced over to his pile of stuff then back to her.

“You sneaky little shit, you can’t mind your own business,” Eugene said, impressed despite himself that she’d snuck into his room without him noticing. Her transgression couldn’t go without revenge, even if he thought it was as funny as it was annoying. He swiftly pulled Luna’s blanket off his shoulders and sacked it over her head. She shrieked and kicked him but he managed to spin her around in it enough to be thoroughly tangled.

“Love ya, kiddo, be good!” He patted her patronizing on the head, grabbed his bags, and hurtled out the door and into the waiting car.

“All good?” Dad asked.

“All good,” Eugene confirmed.

  


* * *

  


When Eugene unloaded his bags from Dad’s car, he tossed them into the trunk of Marcel’s. All but his school bag, which he swung over his shoulder after waving off his dad.

“Come on in,” Marcel said amiably. “You know the place.”

Eugene did. He’d been to Marcel’s tons of times since Jesse had first invited him. Jesse wasn’t here yet, Eugene didn’t even bother looking around to confirm it. If Jesse had been here, he wouldn’t have left Marcel to come out and make small talk with Eugene and his dad for so long.

“Happy New Years, dude,” Eugene clapped a hand on Marcel’s shoulder, kicking off his shoes by the garage door and heading to Marcel’s room to unload his bag too.

“Merry Christmas,” Marcel returned his smile.

“Happy hella late Hanukah.”

“I hate picking out gifts so I didn’t get you anything,” Marcel said simply. Eugene laughed. This was what he adored about Marcel. He was sweet and pretty and completely straightforward.

“Conveniently,” Eugene said, “my present to you included pardoning you of all gift-giving duties and residual guilt over it.”

Now Marcel laughed. “You’re the best at gifts.”

“Totally,” Eugene agreed.

Time with Marcel passed perfectly normally, filled with catching up and playing video games and, most recently, making mac ’n cheese. When the doorbell rang, Marcel tipped his head in a frown.

“Oh!” He said, then laughed. “You came in through the garage so I never unlocked the door. Go let Jesse in, would you?”

“Sure. Don’t fuck up that mac before I get back.”

“Don’t take forever, then.”

“I’ll try not to get lost.”

The doorbell rang again but Eugene didn’t go to the entry hall. The garage door shuddered as it opened to the cold for the second time in so many hours. Eugene ventured out into the driveway, finding a sensible Mercedes there, a blonde woman behind its wheel. Beyond the car, standing at the front door, was Jesse.

“Jess! Over here, dip—_stick_,” he modified last minute in case Samantha Coste could hear him. Whether or not she could, Eugene wasn’t sure, but Jesse certainly could. He was already spinning on his heel and stomping over.

“It’s _cold_,” he said. Like Eugene could do anything about it. “Marcel knows not to leave the door locked, what gives?”

“Luggage,” Eugene replied, thumbing over his shoulder to the trunk he’d already popped. “Marcel’s graciously agreed to drive us to school and so we are loading our shit directly into the Marcelmobile.”

“You could have texted to say as much.”

“You could have texted to say you were here but you attacked the doorbell instead. We both have our vices. I’ll help you with your bags, I’m sure you’ve got about twenty.”

“Only three,” Jesse contradicted. “Plus my schoolbag. And my toiletries.”

“So, five?”

Jesse’s eyes narrowed. He was considering being a smartass. Eugene was ready to get sarcastically congratulated on being able to do basic math.

“I’d appreciate the help,” Jesse said eventually, all reluctant sincerity and no snark.

“Lucky for you, I was planning on helping.”

“Hello,” the woman up front said brightly when Jesse opened the door to get to his bags. She’d twisted all around to see them. “Eugene?”

“My reputation precedes me,” Eugene said, offering a hand. It was just about the weirdest shake he’d ever received because of all the twisting that had to happen to make their hands meet but they got there. “It’s good to finally meet you, Mrs. Coste.”

“Sam, please. Call me Sam. Samantha if you must. _Never_ Sammie.”

“Sam,” Eugene nodded, “got it.”

“Did you have a good break?”

“Yeah, it was—,”

“It’s cold and I’d like to go inside,” Jesse interrupted.

“Did you leave your manners at home today?” Sam asked. Eugene couldn’t resist looking over his shoulder to catch Jesse’s expression. It was all pinched and small and Eugene recognized the danger of a spiral coming on. He wondered what Jesse could possibly be stressing over now.

“We’ll have to chat some other time,” Sam told him.

“Yeah, for sure.”

Eugene straightened from his half-in-half-out posture, bringing two suitcases—white, blue, and gold, to match Exton’s colors—out with him. Jesse managed the other one plus his messenger bag and bathroom bag. As they finished loading Marcel’s car, Sam rolled down her window.

“Have a fun playdate!”

“Mom!”

The window rolled up on a laugh and the Mercedes backed out of the driveway. Jesse watched her depart and then his attention focused on Eugene. And Eugene’s attention focused on Jesse. His ears and nose had gone slightly pink from the cold and his hair, which had clearly been purposefully styled, had gotten some wind blown through it sometime between when he’d left his car and now. Blue eyes, clear as a pool freshly frozen over. Blond hair that, even out of place, seemed to fall damn near perfectly.

Jesse looked away, down into the trunk with their luggage like he was double-checking it.

“It’s cold,” Eugene said, watching Jesse stamp his feet. With fancy fashion boots like those, it didn’t surprise Eugene at all that Jesse had cold feet. “Let’s go inside.”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Jesse slammed shut the trunk and strode importantly into the house like he owned it. That was just how Jesse did things, as evidenced by the fact that he’d fully expected to waltz in here through the front door and was put off that he’d had to ring the bell.

“You were out in the cold for five minutes. Max,” Eugene said, watching Jesse shuck off his shoes only to hesitate at his coat. “You’re just being a diva about being left on the doorstep for two seconds.”

“I don’t see you taking off your jacket,” Jesse said pointedly.

“You implying I should undress?”

“How did you get _that?_ I was just—if anything, _you _implied I should undress first.”

“Your face right now, bud,” Eugene said, unable to hold it together any longer. Jesse crossed his arms and it made Eugene crack up more. “You should stomp your foot, it’d go great with the whole look.”

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll go back outside.”

“Instead of just going more _inside?_ Oh man, you’re killing me! You’re the only one that’d suffer from that, I won’t go out after you, I already took off my boots and everything.”

“You’ve still got on your jacket,” Jesse mumbled sulkily.

“You should check again,” Eugene said, ripping off his hoodie in record time. He quickly threw it on one of the benches in the mudroom and spread his arms for Jesse like they’d never been covered by a second layer. Jesse didn’t look up fast enough. “I see you’re already checking.”

“You’re not very subtle,” Jesse’s words came out snipped tight with irritation but it did nothing to hide his horror at being caught, couldn’t cover up the blush or undo the way he’d absolutely been checking Eugene out.

“_I’m_ not subtle?”

“You sacrificed subtlety for speed, you couldn’t have been more obvious about taking the jacket off.”

“That was the joke,” Eugene protested. Jesse was right, but that wasn’t the point. Eugene readjusted his shirt—admittedly, it _had_ come about half-way off, as shirts liked to do when you took off hoodies. Especially when you took them off too fast, but the shirt had fallen decently back into place by itself. Jesse’s eyes were resolutely fixed on Eugene’s face, careful not stray at all. It was just as damning as the ogling but Eugene decided not to say. He’d probably bullied Jesse enough for one day.

“If you have to explain the joke, it wasn’t a very good one.”

“No way, I’m hilarious. You must have left your sense of humor in the car.”

“God knows Mom needs it. A new sense of humor on her would be great.”

Eugene laughed. “Damn, guess she’s gonna have to do without ‘cause that was actually funny. But I think hers is just fine already.”

“You would.”

“That supposed to hurt my feelings? It didn’t.” Eugene tugged at Jesse’s coat. “You gonna wear that the whole playdate or do you think you’re all warmed up now?” There were more jokes to be made over why Jesse might have warmed up but Eugene had decided to play nice.

As if he knew about the jokes Eugene wasn’t telling, Jesse eyed him suspiciously, waiting for the other boot to drop. Finally, he just took off his coat and hung it above Eugene’s.

Eugene started to head out of the mudroom.

“Um—,” Jesse said before he’d gotten far. It was a sucked in breath before a dive off high rocks into cold water. Eugene stopped and swiveled. Jesse looked panicked.

“What’s wrong?” Eugene asked without hesitation. “Is—,”

“Nothing!” Jesse held up his hands, splaying his fingers, “I’m fine, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that I wanted to talk to you and I can’t think of a better time than now since we’ll be back at school and cars are banned on campus so it’s not like I’ll get another chance anytime soon…” Jesse, frazzled, trailed off.

Eugene wasn’t convinced nothing was wrong. Jesse was so agitated, and _talk to you_ obviously came with the implied stipulation _without Marcel._ Was it a new Nick development? A Nick-and-Seiji development? Had Jesse gotten into a fight with Nick’s mom? That was one Eugene sort of expected to happen eventually and he wasn’t looking forward to the clean-up of such an explosion.

“I’m listening,” Eugene said. “You know I always am. What’s up?”

“This is a mudroom. And my hair’s ruined. And I had to stand in the cold for ages so my face is all—but never mind. It doesn’t matter. I—,”

“Did you get lost?” Marcel’s voice called loudly, overpowering Jesse’s quiet burble of nonsense. Then he rounded the corner and was in sight.

“Yeah,” Eugene said, automatically adding, “in your eyes.”

Marcel shook his head with a smile. “With lines like that, it’s a wonder you get so many numbers.”

“I got yours.”

“And it’s a wonder I haven’t taken it back. Hey, Jesse, how’s it been?”

“It’s been good,” Jesse said, recovering from his affliction nicely. For once, he didn’t even seem ruffled that Eugene and Marcel had left him out for a minute. He’d clearly _really_ needed that minute. “How was France?”

As Marcel dove into a story about France Eugene had already heard earlier, he led them back into the kitchen and loaded a bowl with the mac ’n cheese that was now complete.

Marcel had been gone the entire break and largely out of range of cell service so it was good to see him. He’d been the one to invite Eugene and Jesse over and Eugene had been pleased with the arrangement for several reasons.

After lunch, they moved back to video games until Jesse said he wanted to watch a movie that they ended up talking through anyway. Eugene kept noticing Jesse’s anxiety. It wasn’t an obvious thing unless you’d seen it spiraling out of control enough to recognize it at its roots. Quite foot-tapping, hand-wringing, eye-darting. A sense that Jesse had somewhere he wanted to be, something he wanted to say, and the effort of not demanding his requests be met right then was driving him mad.

If Marcel noticed, he didn’t say.

Halfway through their second movie, Jesse stood up. “Don’t bother pausing it,” he said, “I’ll be back soon.”

He wasn’t. Twenty minutes and still no sign of him.

“I’m gonna—,” Eugene said, getting up from his place on the couch to Marcel’s raised eyebrow. Then Marcel shrugged.

“Jesse _was_ a bit antsy. Guess I don’t blame him, I’d be a little off too if I had a secret brother.”

“Don’t bother pausing the movie, I’ve seen this one already.”

“Sure. Don’t get lost.”

“I’ll try not to,” Eugene assured him before leaving the dark room. He only realized that he’d left his phone there when he reached for it, intending to locate Jesse by _Bromance_. The phone idea got abandoned, he’d just have to track Jesse down without it because he didn't feel like going even more out of his way than he already had.

Eugene tried to find some genuine annoyance in Jesse’s disappearing act. But it was as he’d started to suspect; he didn’t mind having to look for Jesse because looking for him meant finding him. And Eugene had kind of hoped to nab a moment alone with Jesse before they returned to school...As long as he was already going to all this trouble, Eugene decided, what was a bit more?

But his quick detour was to Marcel’s room to rummage swiftly through his bag, not back to the couch for his phone. Satisfied with his find, Eugene went back to his pursuit.


	15. Chapter 15

Jesse was by the pool. For all his complaints of being cold, he’d gone out without so much as a coat. That was how Eugene had spotted him, searching through an upstairs lounging room his eye had been caught by a spot of soft yellow. Jesse’s hair. Jesse’s sweater. Jesse.

Eugene was outside after him not even a minute later, forgetting about his jacket, too, in his haste. Something was really up. He wondered if he could solve it. He wanted to be able to.

“Hey,” Eugene said, walking up behind Jesse. He’d tried to say it gently so as not to startle Jesse but he jumped anyway, spinning around to face Eugene. “There you are.”

“I was going to head back,” Jesse told him, close to defensive, though Eugene’s words hadn’t been at all accusatory. “I just wanted some fresh air.”

“Sure,” he said easily, “I just wanted to check on you. You know, make sure you weren’t doing something dumb like coming out to stand by a pool in the dead of winter without a damn coat.”

“I don’t see you wearing one either.”

“After all the trouble I went to to take it off for you? Nah. Besides, I’m just grabbing you and heading back inside so it’s fine.”

“I still need a minute.”

“For what?”

“I wanted to talk, remember?”

“I’m here.”

“I—need a minute.” Jesse hadn’t ever stalled in telling Eugene what was going on before. It made him nervous. Either this was something really bad or Jesse hadn’t been lying when he said nothing was wrong and this was something else.

“Okay. Take your minute,” Eugene said, knowing there was no point in putting pressure on Jesse to just get it over with. “Actually, you know what? Do you mind if I take that minute instead?”

“What?”

“I don’t know what kind of breakdown you may or may not be having right now, but I wanted to talk to you too. Mind if I go first while you get your wits together?”

“You…? Yes, you can go first.”

“Here,” Eugene pressed the moose-adorned gift bag he’d been holding into Jesse’s hands. They were freezing and both red and clumsy from it. “Merry Christmas, Jesse.”

Jesse stared down at it in complete surprise. Eugene wasn’t sure how he’d missed it up until now; it wasn’t like Eugene had hidden it behind his back or been at all subtle about its existence. But Jesse’s worry had a one-track mind so Eugene supposed it made sense Jesse would have missed the obvious parcel until it was given to him.

“I didn’t—Gene, I didn’t think to get you anything, I’m—,”

“Shut up and open it,” Eugene dismissed Jesse’s guilt and worry impatiently. “I only got it because I wanted to, you can thank me by admitting I’m the best at presents.”

“Thank you,” Jesse said with a sort of shy delight.

“You haven’t even opened it yet.”

“Right. I’ll just…do that right now, then?” His eyes flicked up from the bag to look at Eugene through his eyelashes. It was as if he expected Eugene to snatch it back and admit he’d been kidding. In this light, from this angle, Eugene suddenly noticed that Jesse’s eyelashes were light—almost blond—near the lid, flaring out dark over his eyes so dramatically that you’d miss the roots if you weren’t really looking.

“Aren’t you cold? Get to it before you make us both freeze.”

Cautiously, Jesse fished through the tissue paper and pulled out the gift inside. With a little gasp of unchecked joy, Jesse hugged the box to his chest, his face lighting up in a dazzling smile that far outweighed what the headphones actually deserved. That smile and the obvious happiness that glowed from Jesse filled Eugene’s chest with something that didn’t seem to want to stop expanding.

“For your sensitive ears,” Eugene said, an impulse prompting his hand to tug at one of Jesse’s ears playfully.

Realizing his heart was showing, Jesse tugged Eugene’s hand away from his ear. “Don’t do that,” came his unconvincing admonishment. He was still smiling. More accurately, he was trying to hide he was still smiling. And he’d gone even pinker than the cold had already made him. Something about that reaction intrigued Eugene. It made him want to see exactly how sensitive Jesse’s ears really were.

“I know you’re a fucking emotional hoarder so I figured you wouldn’t have thrown out your favorite headphones even if they didn’t work anymore. I got Nick to find them and snap some pics for me to make sure I got it right.”

“Nick went rummaging around my room?” Jesse asked, scandalized by the news.

“You don’t get to be upset about that. He told me you picked the lock on his room because he was ignoring you.”

“I didn’t _pick_ it. It just so happens that Seiji and I fucked up that lock ages ago and didn’t want to get in trouble for it so we never told. If you wiggle the knob a bit, it pops unlocked.”

“That’s basically the same thing.”

“No it’s not—,” then Jesse shook his head, his grip on his headphones tightening slightly. “I don’t know how you found these.”

“Magic.” Basic googling skills.

“Thank you,” Jesse said, swallowing another sunshine sweet smile. “I love them.”

Eugene shrugged up a shoulder. “You’re welcome.”

“You really are the absolute best at presents,” Jesse told him with a small laugh, finally releasing the headphones from his hug to examine the box.

“I pay attention,” Eugene grinned, watching Jesse’s inspection. “And you’ve had an obvious headphone problem for ages.”

The headphones must have passed the test because when Jesse looked up from the box again there was only a split second of consideration before he flung his arms around Eugene and held _him_ to his chest even tighter than he had the headphones. Eugene had known the gift would please Jesse but he hadn’t expected them to get him a hug. He had a rule about never turning down a good thing so he wrapped arms around Jesse’s back, fingers brushing against soft yellow cashmere.

Eugene could feel Jesse’s heartbeat _thud thud thudding_ fast and hard against him and he knew in his gut what Jesse was going to say even before he opened his mouth to say it.

“Eugene, I really—,”

“You guys, it’s been ages,” a voice called, a loud and stark intrusion on the quietly charged moment. Jesse cut off abruptly, frozen and rigid in Eugene’s hold now. “The movie ended and—oh!” Marcel. He must have just come to the top of the stairs leading down to the pool, finally getting a view of the scene below him.

Jesse panicked. In his frantic, hurried withdrawal from the hug, Jesse did more than just pull away. He pushed Eugene away too. _Hard._ Eugene probably should have expected it but he hadn’t. Unprepared to catch himself from the shove, he went careening backwards, bracing himself for impact with the ground. It never came. Instead, he fell flat into a vinyl canvas pulled taut over water.

And then it wasn’t pulled taut anymore.

Eugene plummeted into freezing cold water.

As soon as the shock of impact and temperature let go of him, Eugene surged for the surface. The dark was disorienting, made worse because the source of the darkness was physical and heavy, blocking out the sun and trapping Eugene in the water at the same time.

A single bright spot caught his eye—his weight must have pulled that section free of its holdings and created the gap he’d fallen through. Relieved to have a destination, Eugene made for it. Coming up for air, his face stung with cold and his lungs, though accustomed to breath-holding contests, didn’t appreciate the burn of cold air they got after being deprived of air while he’d searched for a break in the pool cover.

“Thank God, you’re okay,” Marcel said as Eugene pulled himself from the pool, he was right there hovering over the uncovered corner as if he’d been about to dive in after Eugene. Now he grabbed Eugene’s bicep and pulled him away from the edge.

“Dude, Jesse, _not_ cool.” Eugene’s teeth were chattering, his clothes were sopping, and his mood had turned sour somewhere under that stupid tarp. Jesse was standing exactly where he’d been when he’d pushed Eugene off the edge, looking shocked and even more panicky than ever. He hadn’t _meant_ any harm, Eugene knew that. But he was too cold and wet to be gentle just now. “Fucking troublesome.” He regretted the mumbled slight at Jesse’s wince from it. He should—

“Come inside and take a shower,” Marcel offered, starting to lead Eugene up the stairs and toward the house. “I’ll throw those,” he gestured over Eugene with his free hand, “in the wash and grab you something from your bags. Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Eugene said. “Shit! My—,” he patted his pockets frantically. Then, remembering, he laughed. “Phone’s inside. Small mercies.”

The relief from knowing his phone was safe spread through him, putting him in a much better mood about his swim than he’d been in at the bottom of the stairs. He paused halfway up, looking back down. Jesse was clearly miserable.

“Man, you’re shivering, get warmed up before you catch pneumonia. You can deal with all that later.”

_All that_ didn’t make a move to follow and Eugene reckoned Marcel was right. Now wasn’t a great time to talk, shivering and dripping as he was. So he let Marcel pull him into the house and away from Jesse.

  


* * *

  


When Eugene emerged from the shower, dressed in the clothes Marcel had received from the car for him, Eugene was feeling downright good-humored about the whole thing. It was funny now that he wasn’t fresh out of the pool.

“Where’s Jesse?” He asked, looking around as he walked into Marcel’s room. Marcel lowered his book to give Eugene a once-over. When he was satisfied that Eugene was all done shivering, he answered.

“Jesse said he needed to get to Exton right away for something. He didn’t say what.”

Bullshit.

“He walked back? In the cold?”

“He would have,” Marcel said, slipping from his bed and standing. “But I said I’d drive him. He was insistent that it was urgent.” He said it like an apology.

“Huh,” Eugene didn’t know what else to say. He was suddenly feeling very heavy. Kind of like the way he felt after pushing himself too hard during a workout. All dead weight. But worse.

Jesse didn’t like being left behind. So he’d left first.


	16. Chapter 16

Trouble✨  
  
**1/6/19,** 4:07 PM  
**Eugene:** leaving without saying goodbye? What gives?  
  
**Jesse:** Sorry, I remembered something I had to do. It couldn’t wait.  
  
**Eugene:** Im sure 😑  
  
**Jesse:** Thank you again for the headphones  
  
**Jesse:** I’m sorry about the pool  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** it’s fine, I’m over it. Wish you hadn’t left tho  
  
**Jesse:** sorry   
  
**1/7/19,** 7:07 AM  
**Eugene:** Have you heard the news?  
  
**Jesse:** ?  
  
**Eugene:** Nick and Seiji are officially (back?) together 🎉🎊🎉  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** For real?  
  
**Eugene:** yup, Seiji was back at the breakfast table this morning and they (Nick) apologized for all the confusion (lying) and said they’re officially and actually dating  
  
**Eugene:** Nick looked so happy you knew it had to be true from looking at him  
  
**Eugene:** Actually Seiji looked just as happy (with a healthy side of embarrassment over the whole thing lmao) which made it even more obvious it’s for real  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** you okay?  
  
**Jesse:** completely   
  
**Jesse:** I’m over Seiji. I keep saying.  
  
**Eugene:** I know. I wondered if the news made you kind of lonely or something?  
  
**Eugene:** I’ve got half an hour before class if you wanted to call  
  
**Jesse:** I’m fine. I’m happy for them, it’s honestly about time they got their shit together  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** trueeee   
  
**Jesse:** think they’ll go back to being gross?  
  
**Eugene:** It’s weird, I don’t think they know how to be now but I’m sure they’ll find their way back to gooey soon enough  
  
**Jesse:** I’ll probably get to witness it firsthand this weekend  
  
**Eugene:** good luck  
  
**Jesse:** thanks   
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**1/8/19,** 10:40 AM  


[ **Eugene has sent an image** ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/42668519b3d121b51c345050ea3498e0/6c067578f8ed6f22-65/s500x750/cb05c9486a854382fffdcaa50e0659a4e440fc5a.png)  
  


**Eugene:** A picture of Marcel, as promised  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** omfg PLEASE call him Rodrigo in the future. Marcel saw that last message pop up and I only just finished having to explain to him about the moose business  
  
**Eugene:** 😂  
  
**Eugene:** “moose business”  
  
**Eugene:** I delivered the goods 📦 now where’s my payment?  
  
**Jesse:** you negotiated a bad deal, I never agreed to offer any sort of payment and now I’m already in possessions of the goods so you can’t make me pay  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** That’s what you think.  
  
**Eugene:** I’ve got your little brother hostage, pay up or I’m cutting off a finger 🔪  
  
**Jesse:** yours or his?  
  
**Eugene:** Dunno. Which would you find more distressing?  
  
**Jesse:** Actually you know what? This conversation is upsetting my stomach  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** that’s the point 👍🏽  
  
**Eugene:** Pay up 💸💵💰💸  
  
**Jesse:** Rodrigo is very regal looking, isn’t he?  
  
**Eugene:** yup. Still a moose though so Mom won’t let anyone leave the house till he’s cleared out  
  
**Jesse:** I expect there have been some interesting tardy notes over that  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** “Please excuse my child for being late, there was a moose in our front yard again”  
  
**Eugene:** lol yeah pretty much  
  
**1/9/19,** 7:56 PM  
**Jesse:** Nick finally got around to telling me about his and Seiji’s make up  
  
**Eugene:** make out, more like 😉🤣  
  
**Jesse:** Thankfully he withheld all the details on that  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** thankfully? We all know you’re nosy af dude  
  
**Jesse:** gross I don’t need to know that about my brother  
  
**Jesse:** I guess I am kind of curious…  
  
**Eugene:** 🧐 knew it  
  
**Jesse:** but mostly: gross  
  
**Eugene:** anyway how’d it go?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** fine. He called to tell me. He NEVER calls. When he turned down Dad for custody, he told me over text  
  
**Eugene:** Guess he figured he owed you the curtesy  
  
**Jesse:** Guess so. He’s not sure if he’s going to tell Dad on the phone or on Saturday  
  
**Eugene:** ah so he called you AND asked you for advice. Congrats, you’ve leveled up in big brotherhood  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** shut up  
  
**Eugene:** no   
  
**Eugene:** I think it’s sweet. So what’d you say?  
  
**Jesse:** I said phone. That’s how he’ll have to tell Esme too anyway so why not get it all done with in one night? Plus it clears up the weekend plans—it’s not like it’s any trouble to have Seiji over last minute but Nick’s always worrying about shit like that. It’s technically more courteous to say Seiji’ll be coming over before the day of. PLUS plus how would you even bring that up? Before or after fencing practice? I guess they could just walk into the gym to meet Dad and Dmytro holding hands and let him figure it out himself  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** So I said I’d probably do a phone call but I don’t know what he’ll actually do. I’m not sure if Seiji’s told his parents yet either  
  
**Eugene:** they made a mess, didn’t they? If they’d just decided to date for real before telling everyone it was all fake, no one would ever have had to know  
  
**Jesse:** I keep thinking that too  
  
**Eugene:** dumb freshies 😓😔  
  
**1/9/19,** 9:12 PM  
**Jesse:** If you think about it, Nick and Seiji should be thanking me  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** bruh   
  
**Eugene:** wht   
  
**Jesse:** I’m just saying. If not for me they wouldn’t be together right now, would they?  
  
**Eugene:** Hooray for past stalker-like behavior…?  
  
**Eugene:** that’s funny. You should 100% tell Seiji he’s welcome for all you did for his relationship ✅💯🤣  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** I’m not stupid enough to say it to him  
  
**Jesse:** I’m only stupid enough to say it to you because I thought of it  
  
**Eugene:** I knew you were feeling some sort of way  
  
**Jesse:** I’m really not  
  
**Jesse:** I was just thinking about my role in it and I thought it was kind of funny.   
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** Like, my mistake just made them closer  
  
**Eugene:** Call me. You obviously need to talk  
  
**Jesse:** It’s too late now  
  
**Jesse:** my beauty sleep awaits  
  
**Eugene:** Jesse   
  
**Jesse:** I’m going to bed.  
  
**Eugene:** Jesse   
  
**Eugene:** Jesse for fucks sake pick up your phone  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** Jesse cmon  
  
**Eugene:** A  
  
**Eugene:** S  
  
**Eugene:** S  
  
**Eugene:** H  
  
**Eugene:** O  
  
**Eugene:** L  
  
**Eugene:** E  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** fine whatever  
  
**Eugene:** goodnight   
  
**1/11/19,** 5:55 PM  
**Jesse:** Sorry   
  
**1/11/19,** 6:48 PM  
**Eugene:** look who’s back from the dead  
  
**Jesse:** I was having a night. I’m past it  
  
**Eugene:** I could have helped  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** I don’t think so. I AM happy for Nick and Seiji. I don’t want you to think I resent them  
  
**Eugene:** dunno why id think that.  
  
**Jesse:** Seriously, I know it looks bad but I didn’t mean it like that  
  
**Eugene:** I know how you meant it  
  
**Jesse:** You said it yourself, they were always headed here anyway. Obviously I was a catalyst in their whole deal but it would have happened  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** they’re roommates it’s not like all their tension or whatever wouldn’t have found a way out eventually  
  
**Eugene:** You done talking about Nick and Seiji yet?  
  
**Jesse:** I’m happy they’re together even if I think they went about it kind of stupid  
  
**Eugene:** They’re still all tipped sideways  
  
**Jesse:** How do you mean?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** You’ll see tomorrow  
  
**Jesse:** oh yeah, Nick ended up calling Dad to ask if Seiji could come over  
  
**Eugene:** Does that mean he told your dad or…?  
  
**Jesse:** no clue, he just texted me to say that he’d called Dad and Dad said Seiji could come over  
  
**Eugene:** you sure you’re good?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** yes   
  
**Jesse:** I wonder if Nick will finally let me watch Beyond  
  
**Eugene:** you’re not talking about star trek are you?  
  
**Jesse:** I kind of want to see what happens next but Nick won’t let me watch it without him and he wouldn’t watch it without Seiji  
  
**Jesse:** AND Chris Pine has the prettiest blue eyes  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** I’ve seen prettier  
  
**Eugene:** hey, I gotta go for a sec. Talk later?  
  
**Jesse:** Sure   
  
**1/12/19,** 2:00 PM  
**Eugene:** having fun nerd?  
  
**Eugene:** 🖖🏽🖖🏽🖖🏽  
  
**Jesse:** Seiji and Nick ran off somewhere 😒  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** ouch   
  
**Eugene:** No beyond for you today?  
  
**Jesse:** doesn’t look like it  
  
**Eugene:** I owe you for disappearing last night. Call?  
  
**Jesse:** Where did you go last night?  
  
**Eugene:** Coach wanted to see me  
  
**Jesse:** Anything important?  
  
**Eugene:** eh   
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** Who’s being difficult now?  
  
**Eugene:** Let me check  
  
**Eugene:** yeah no it’s still you  
  
**Eugene:** kidding   
  
**1/14/19,** 1:29 PM  
**Jesse:** Do you think Seiji will hate me when I beat him at nationals again?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** Nick doesn’t seem to mind losing to me as much so if he decides to go for it again I don’t think he’ll be too mad at me but I haven’t fenced Seiji since last year  
  
**Eugene:** “When” 👀👀  
  
**Eugene:** you’ve got some confidence on you that’s for sure 😅😝  
  
**Jesse:** you don’t think I’m right?  
  
**Eugene:** I’m not commenting on that. You and Seiji are both my friends and I hope you tie for 1st place 🥇🏆🥇🎉  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** And Nick?  
  
**Eugene:** And Nick I hope goes further than he did last year  
  
**Jesse:** that won’t be hard  
  
**Eugene:** don’t be mean  
  
**Jesse:** I’m not! I’m being true  
  
**Jesse:** So?  
  
**Eugene:** do I think Seiji will hate you?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** yeah   
  
**Jesse:** it would be inconvenient considering that I see him each weekend  
  
**Eugene:** I think he won’t be happy. If he loses again. I don’t think you’ll be happy either if you lose. And I think you’ll all just have to deal with it and get over it, Nick included. The three of you are so set on winning nationals it’s bound to cause a fuss  
  
**Eugene:** well, I think Nick is more interested in beating Seiji at nationals but that’s like practically the same thing as winning  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** my point is it’s kinda hilariously unfortunate that you’re all so competitive  
  
**Jesse:** you’re competitive too  
  
**Eugene:** yeah but not on NATIONALS level  
  
**Eugene:** my competitiveness is fun and charming. Yours is hungry and ruthless  
  
**Jesse:** you’re just jealous you can’t beat me  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** I’m not Nick, I don’t do personal vendettas  
  
**Jesse:** too much trouble?  
  
**Eugene:** you know it.  
  
**Eugene:** also, technically, we’ve only fenced once  
  
**Jesse:** that’s strange  
  
**Eugene:** isn’t it?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** we should  
  
**Eugene:** you’re on 🤺🤺  
  
**1/17/19,** 6:21 PM  
**Eugene:** so   
  
**Eugene:** nationals prep?  
  
**Jesse:** yeah, it’s only a couple months away so it’s time to buckle down  
  
**Jesse:** Sorry I’ve been so busy lately  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** It’s chill. I get it  
  
**Jesse:** You’ll come watch my matches, right? When you can?  
  
**Eugene:** obviously   
  
**1/19/19,** 5:42 PM  
**Jesse:** you’re right about Seiji and Nick being a bit sideways lately  
  
**Eugene:** weird, right?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** totally   
  
**Eugene:** think they’re faking it again?  
  
**Jesse:** don’t even joke  
  
**1/22/19,** 6:48 PM  
**Eugene:** I am full of regret and bread  
  
**Jesse:** too ambitious with the breadsticks?  
  
**Eugene:** always   
  
**Jesse:** I don’t get the point of breadsticks. It just fills you up before the actual meal  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** you don’t like breadsticks?? 😧😱  
  
**Eugene:** *shoving breadsticks into my pockets* I’ve got to leave right now immediately  
  
**Jesse:** what on earth??  
  
**Jesse:** into your pockets??  
  
**Jesse:** leaving to go where???  
  
**Eugene:** ah. You’re too young to get that one  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** you’re only one year older than me.  
  
**Eugene:** ah so you’re just too meme illiterate to know that one then  
  
**Jesse:** I think that’s a good thing  
  
**Jesse:** Back at that place with the pretty waiter?  
  
**Eugene:** it’s a good place and I resent the implication that I only came here for eye candy  
  
**Jesse:** you didn’t?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** no I came for breadsticks  
  
**1/25/19,** 2:44 PM  
**Eugene:** ugh  
  
**Eugene:** I have so much homowork this weekend  
  
**Eugene:** homework*  
  
**Eugene:** I WISH it was homowork  
  
**Jesse:** what would that even consist of?  
  
**Eugene:** good question. Can’t be worse than homework though  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**1/29/19,** 10:48 PM  
**Jesse:** There’s a conspiracy against me  
  
**Eugene:** I’m sure there is  
  
**Eugene:** what’s it about this time do you think?  
  
**Jesse:** I’m discriminated against because I’m left handed  
  
**Jesse:** You have no idea how hard it is  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** fucking everything in the world is built for right handed people and I’m not right handed so fuck me i guess  
  
**Eugene:** I know the feel  
  
**Jesse:** you’re right handed  
  
**Eugene:** world built for someone else? discrimination?  
  
**Eugene:** I can think of several reasons I might relate to that  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** oh duh  
  
**Jesse:** sorry I wasn’t thinking  
  
**Eugene:** I didn’t want you to apologize lmao I was just saying I relate  
  
**Eugene:** what’re you being discriminated against with?  
  
**Jesse:** fucking scissors  
  
**Jesse:** I had to cut and paste together a dinosaur fossil  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** I mean COME ON am I a 3rd grader?  
  
**Eugene:** sometimes you act like one  
  
**Jesse:** I’m 16 years old and I had to do crafts. CRAFTS, Gene. The humility of it. It’s like, what possessed my teacher to think that was a relevant activity for sophomores? it was terrible. there weren’t even any left handed scissors so I had to suffer the indignity of using right handed ones and making do  
  
**Eugene:** you didn’t just make someone else cut it out for you?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** don’t be ridiculous that’s such a bratty solution  
  
**Eugene:** that’s my point  
  
**Jesse:** I drew attention to the lack of accommodations in a nonchalant sort of way as I cut out my stupid dinosaur, making my point but not complaining. Mr. Beech looked ashamed of himself. As he should have  
  
**Eugene:** how suave of you  
  
**Jesse:** it’s impossible to look at all suave when cutting out a dinosaur but I managed it. with terrible scissors too  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** bravo   
  
**Jesse:** my fingers hurt  
  
**Jesse:** AND there’s glue everywhere  
  
**Eugene:** If you got glue everywhere maybe you need to learn how to use it properly  
  
**Jesse:** I can use glue.  
  
**Jesse:** My classmates are imbeciles though  
  
**Eugene:** lol   
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** What was you dinosaur?  
  
**Jesse:** what?  
  
**Eugene:** the one you cut out and glued together. what was it? 🦖🦕🦖  
  
**Jesse:** I don’t know. I was too busy hating the activity to learn anything from it  
  
**Eugene:** yeah you’d fit in with third graders  
  
**Jesse:** I’m too tall, you might blend in with them though  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** I’m the average height for dudes in America, remember?  
  
**Jesse:** still though 5’9” is closer to 3rd grade height than 6’  
  
**Eugene:** and your personality is closer to a third grader than mine  
  
**Eugene:** how do you even know how tall I am?  
  
**Jesse:** You told me  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** did I?  
  
**Jesse:** you must have  
  
**Eugene:** huh   
  
**Jesse:** stop looking at me like that.  
  
**Eugene:** dude we’re texting im not looking at you in any way  
  
**Jesse:** you are. Telepathically.  
  
**Jesse:** Obviously you told me or I wouldn’t know, would I?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** Guess so. Doesn’t really matter anyway ha  
  
**1/31/19,** 8:59 PM  
**Eugene:** Marcel (human Marcel) came by Kings Row today  
  
**Jesse:** did he?  
  
**Eugene:** don’t give me that  
  
**Eugene:** he said you refused to come with  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** refused is a strong word  
  
**Eugene:** dumbass   
  
**Eugene:** look I’m just gonna say this because you get weird shit caught in your head but you know it’s not sketch for you to come visit, right? You’ve got 1.5 friends and a brother here now, you’ve got valid reasons to drop by  
  
**Jesse:** which one is the .5? You or Seiji?  
  
**Eugene:** I’m the whole 1.5 obviously  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** I figure Seiji counts you at about half of a friend which is waaaaay higher than your friendship level when you were here all the time. My point is I know I gave you shit about it (you deserved all shit given tho) but now it’s different because I actually AM your friend and wouldn’t mind if you came round with (human) Marcel sometimes  
  
**Jesse:** I was just busy  
  
**Jesse:** I don’t know what Marcel said but it’s not like that  
  
**Eugene:** like what?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** like I’m worried you think I’m idk stalking you or something  
  
**Eugene:** yeah sure. Just wanted to put it out there in case you got stupid ideas in your head  
  
**Eugene:** there’s no way I’d think you’re stalking me these days  
  
**Jesse:** I didn’t think you’d want to see me  
  
**Eugene:** you’re my friend, I like seeing you  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** I’ll make sure to come next time  
  
**Eugene:** good   
  
**2/2/19,** 2:22 PM  
**Jesse:** Just passed the funniest sign on the freeway  
  
**Eugene:** you better not be fucking driving right now  
  
**Jesse:** I’m not!  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** Seiji is, I’m in the back and it’s windy because he’s a maniac and likes the hood down in winter  
  
**Jesse:** anyway   
  


[ **Jesse has sent an image** ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/bfdac52f66ac0ef37c528a63e874a99f/80245a41b7d49080-2d/s250x400/38829135b07db751710c714bd57a49685e2c92ab.png)  
  


**Eugene:** that can’t be real  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** I’m dying  
  
**Jesse:** right???  
  
**Eugene:** technically, buckling up is like totes the opposite of yeet, yo  
  
**Jesse:** do you think it’s ironic?  
  
**Eugene:** I honestly have no clue  
  
**Eugene:** that’s great though  
  
**Jesse:** thought you’d like it  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**2/4/19,** 12:13 PM  
**Jesse:** What’s that robot movie?  
  
**Eugene:** the one we watched over break?  
  
**Jesse:** we never finished it. What’s it called?  
  
**Eugene:** Bumblebee. Want me to find you a link?  
  
**Jesse:** I’ll just buy it  
  
**Eugene:** you really are capitalism’s bitch aren’t you?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** aren’t we all? Why shouldn’t I get nice things if I’m being screwed either way?  
  
**Eugene:** lmao   
  
**Eugene:** Aiden says amen  
  
**Eugene:** honestly, the same principle applies to dating too so don’t sell yourself short 😉😘😘💁🏼👑👑  
  
**Eugene:** if you plapkdndn dmndoiss. Hbd sd N  
  
**Jesse:** ????  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** fuck sorry aiden took my fucking phone  
  
**Jesse:** oh haha that makes so much more sense  
  
**Eugene:** yeah   
  
**Jesse:** Aiden’s the one with the hair? From the team?  
  
**Eugene:** all my teammates have hair but yes  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** are you at lunch?  
  
**Eugene:** Yeah. Why?  
  
**Jesse:** just wondered  
  
**2/7/19,** 9:40 PM  
**Jesse:** I’ve got a report due tomorrow  
  
**Eugene:** rip   
  
**Jesse:** I hate having to stay up late to do schoolwork  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** I need to sleep to have proper energy for fencing and school just distracts from that  
  
**Eugene:** Eat a snack it’ll help  
  
**Eugene:** If you want I could do a call rn. Dunno if that’d distract you from your work though  
  
**Jesse:** What about jordie?  
  
**Eugene:** a) who cares? 😎 I can go outside if you’re really concerned about it  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** fucking autocorrect I actually meant b ) not 😎 for once  
  
**Jesse:** ha   
  
**Eugene:** So should I call?  
  
**Jesse:** yes. Please. I’m stressed  
  
**2/9/19,** 6:00 PM  
**Eugene:** did you finish bumblebee?  
  
**Jesse:** I started it   
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** not as good as you remember?  
  
**Jesse:** I don’t know. I don’t like action movies really  
  
**Eugene:** you seemed to like it just fine before js  
  
**Eugene:** I still haven’t finished it either. We should watch it together  
  
**Jesse:** I’ll wait for you before I try again  
  
**Eugene:** 👍🏽  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**2/12/19,** 9:46 PM  
**Jesse:** Tuesdays are the worst  
  
**Eugene:** why?  
  
**Jesse:** because i said so  
  
**Eugene:** alright princeling I’m sorry I questioned your authority  
  
**Eugene:** wait sorry I’m gonna question it again  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** what did Tuesdays ever do to you?  
  
**Jesse:** they’re just objectively bad  
  
**Eugene:** fess up what happened?  
  
**Jesse:** what do you mean?  
  
**Eugene:** you wouldn’t be complaining about Tuesdays unless you were reminded that you hate Tuesdays which means something you don’t like happened  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** it’s nothing  
  
**Jesse:** just head stuff  
  
**Eugene:** explain?  
  
**Jesse:** Tuesdays are terrible because you’re still at the start of the week but you don’t even have the memory of the weekend or the freshness of the new week. And once it’s done, you don’t feel any closer to the next weekend because you’re not even halfway there yet.  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** It’s a bad day  
  
**Eugene:** Unfortunetly I can’t fix the inherent suckiness of Tuesdays   
  
**2/12/19,** 11:40 PM  
**Jesse:** are you up?  
  
**Eugene:** what’s wrong?  
  
**Jesse:** nothing   
  
**Eugene:** you should be asleep. Don’t ‘nothing’ me  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Jesse:** never mind it’s stupid  
  
**Eugene:** 😒😒😒  
  
**Eugene:** really? You’re gonna play that game with me?  
  
**Jesse:** I miss you  
  
**Jesse:** goodnight   
  
**Eugene:** yeah I miss you too  
  
**2/13/19,** 12:02 AM  
**Eugene:** goodnight   
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
** Yesterday,** 7:52 AM  
**Jesse:** any plans for Valentine’s Day?  
  
**Eugene:** 🤣  
  
**Eugene:** noooope   
  
**Eugene:** other than going back to bed  
  
**Jesse:** ?  
  
**Eugene:** Kings Row’s on break  
  
**Jesse:** I thought it started tomorrow  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** nah, we get a four day weekend for pretty much no reason  
  
**Jesse:** skiing. Mom offered to take Nick but he said no. Good thing, Dad would never have let him go and risk breaking a bone so close to nationals  
  
**Eugene:** Nick’s competing?  
  
**Jesse:** yeah   
  
**Jesse:** I bet he’s got plans for today  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Eugene:** probably. People with boyfriends usually have valentines plans  
  
**Jesse:** I’ll let you get back to sleep. Enjoy your break  
  
**Eugene:** thanks ✌🏽  
  
**Today,** 9:09 AM  
**Eugene:** having fun in class, sucker?  
  
**Jesse:** ha ha ha. Rub it in why don’t you?  
  
**Eugene:** that’s what I was doing 😁  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Today,** 11:14 AM  
**Eugene:** It’s been ages since we hung out and we still need to finish 🐝🤖  
  
**Eugene:** when’re you free?  
  
**Today,** 1:23 PM  
**Eugene:** I know nationals stuff has you bogged down but seriously we haven’t really talked since the pool thing at (human) Marcel’s  
  
**Eugene:** I’m not mad about it, you know that right?  
  
  
  


Trouble✨  
  
**Today,** 2:30 PM  
**Eugene:** I’d really like to see you, Jess  
  
**Today,** 5:14 PM  
**Eugene:** You ignoring me?  
  
**Today,** 6:20 PM  
**Eugene:** I’ll take that as a yes  
  
**Today,** 6:36 PM  
**Eugene:** Well let me know when you wanna talk, I’m here whenever  
  
  
  


Eugene looked up with a sigh. No reply. Again. Jesse was being extremely difficult to wrangle as of late. Eugene had only gotten a single phone call out of him in the last month and it had mostly consisted of academic stress on Jesse’s part. Like a flighty bird, he’d shot off in another direction any time Eugene said anything too personal. There were rarely times when Eugene found himself at a loss for how to handle something, especially when that something was Jesse Coste, but he’d been reluctant to push Jesse too far. He'd worried Jesse might hang up and refuse to pick back up—it would certainly have followed with their current trends.

After months of constant texting, it was glaringly strange for conversations to be so sparse and stilted. The source was obvious. It all went back to the pool. And what Jesse had decided last minute not to say.

Eugene regretted how he’d handled the situation pretty much all the way around. Even now, thinking back to Jesse’s frozen horror made Eugene’s stomach twist in guilt. He’d known the shove had been an accident. A knee-jerk reaction of nerves from Marcel’s sudden appearance. But the water had been cold. And he’d been mad. Remembering Jesse’s little flinch at his anger was the worst. That anger hadn’t really belonged solely to Jesse but Eugene had given it to him anyway.

That’s what he got for letting his temper get the best of him. It had scared Jesse off and he was proving difficult to get back.

Eugene _did_ want him back.

All his whining and moping and sulking. All his constant texts and inconveniently timed phone calls. All his charm that had never worked on Eugene and all his blushes, which always had.

Jesse was nothing but trouble, that much had been obvious from the start, Eugene just never would have guessed that he was the type to go chasing after it.

Human Marcel  
  
**Today,** 7:00 PM  
**Eugene:** Hey M, any chance you feel like spending the night with your folks?  
  
**Marcel:** oh thank god you’re going to come fix it  
  
**Marcel:** I didn’t want to say anything but Jesse’s been in a funk and it’s driving me mad  
  
  


Human Marcel  
  
  
**Marcel:** I’ll prop open the back entrance we came through last time, just close it when you get here  
  
**Marcel:** and I’ll leave our room unlocked. You know Jesse, he won’t get out of bed once he’s settled for anything less than a fire  
  
**Marcel:** Seriously. He’s ignored drills before, it got him detention  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends, I hate to do this (especially considering where this chapter ended haha) but November is upon us, bringing with it NaNoWriMo and (at the tail end of it) finals. Which means I’m gonna bump this down to updates every 4 days instead of every 2. If this isn’t already finished by then, I’ll be back full swing in the second week of December. Thank you all for sticking with me, I love you so much!! 💜💜💜


	17. Chapter 17

Eugene knocked on the door. Just in case. But, like Marcel had predicted, no one came to answer it. Probably everyone important knew not to bother Jesse past his bedtime. With a roll of his eyes—and his shoulders—Eugene tried the doorknob. It turned easily under his hand and he slipped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Locking it for good measure.

The room seemed a different place altogether from the one he’d visited in December. It could have been the near absolute dark, the defined chill to it, the calming crash of waves at a shore that wasn’t anywhere near Exton, the gentle hiss and fog of the humidifier…Or it might have been Eugene’s intentions that made it feel so different.

“You’re disrupting my sleep,” Jesse’s voice floated down from the top bunk, displeased and accusatory. “Don’t make too much noise looking for whatever it is you forgot.”

And Eugene had thought Jordie was bad to room with. Bless Marcel for being patient enough for Jesse’s nighttime routine. Most people would have defenestrated him by now. Jesse didn’t even bother to sit up and say hi. _Prick_.

Eugene got right to it, taking hold of the ladder at the foot of the bed and climbing it, doing nothing to discourage the rattling this caused.

“What are you—?” Jesse asked shrilly when Eugene reached the top of the ladder and let himself onto Jesse’s bed just the way he’d let himself into his room.

It really was dark—Jesse must have acquired huge blackout curtains to cover those monstrous windows—but it wasn’t hard to spot Jesse. His golden hair caught what little light there was and he was wearing a matching golden sleep mask. Eugene slid his fingers under the band on either side of Jesse’s head. Silk. Of course. He pushed the thing off Jesse’s face, up into his hair.

“Hey princess, having some trouble sleeping?”

Jesse didn’t respond. He didn’t even blink.

“Or maybe you’re Sleeping Beauty this time. I came a long way to wake you up, where’s my hello?”

“Eugene,” Jesse said at long last, shock morphing into utter confusion. “You’re here.”

“Yeah,” Eugene laughed. “Ask me why.”

Usually, Jesse didn’t like to be bossed around. Usually, he’d have crossed his arms and demanded Eugene just tell him. But tonight he was tucked into bed, head still sunk into his extravagantly fluffy pillow, and such a configuration didn’t allow for effective arms-crossed posture. Tonight, he was obviously too caught off guard to be contrary and difficult.

“Why?” It was a whisper on his lips. If Eugene hadn’t been literally on top of Jesse, he wouldn’t have heard.

“To see you, dumbasss.”

Jesse pushed himself up on his elbows, his blankets—of which there were many—slipped off him slightly.

“Why?” Jesse asked, not soft or quiet anymore. “Is this—? You’re on my _bed,_ Gene, is this—what is this?”

“I—,”

“Wait, no, never mind,” Jesse hastened. “You came all this way just to see me. That’s enough. Really, that’s all I need.”

“You’re not one to be satisfied with only what you _need,”_ Eugene said, undeniable fondness warming him from the inside. “I’ve missed you, Jess.” He traced a finger along Jesse’s jaw. “I came to get you.”

“You’re serious?”

“Uncharacteristically so.”

“You’re—I can’t believe you,” Jesse said, sitting up abruptly. Eugene was forced back from the readjustment. “Why couldn’t you have come during the day? Why _now?_ I’m—I’m in my pajamas! I’m not dressed for the occasion.”

It was exactly what Jesse didn’t want, but Eugene laughed. The blankets were gathered over Jesse’s lap now, revealing fancy silk pajamas, matching perfectly with the mask perched in Jesse’s already matching hair. He looked like a disgruntled and slightly askew prince. He basically was that.

“You look great, super color-coordinated,” Eugene told him. It didn’t help. Was he trying to help? “I could come back tomorrow instead if you don’t want to do this now?”

“No!” Jesse caught him by the arm before he’d so much as shifted his weight in an attempt to move.

“As if I’d actually leave. I came to tell you I like you and your pajamas aren’t gonna stop me from doing that.”

“You like me?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t even wait for Jesse to ask before saying it again. “I like you.”

Eugene was thankful that his eyes had adjusted to the dark well enough to see Jesse’s face. He was able to watch in real time as Jesse finally got it—_really _got it. Really believed it. At first, when the smile chased off all the confussion and surprise, it was bitten back, the way these smiles always were. A futile attempt to keep from showing Eugene how pleased he was. Always, it appeared for him when he’d said or done something to show Jesse he cared. Always, it was poorly hidden. But tonight, Jesse slowly realized that he had no reason to hide it anymore. When he let the smile break loose, Eugene was completely taken by it.

Jesse was the sort of person you wanted to make smile, but this smile was different. This smile wasn’t for everyone to clamor over and attempt to draw out. It was just for Eugene. And now that he finally got to see it, he knew it’d be really easy to get greedy with it.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Jesse said, grip shifting against Eugene’s arm as if to confirm by touch that he _was _here.

“You left me no choice.”

“I pushed you into a _pool_. After you gave me the perfect gift. How was I supposed to recover from that?”

“By sticking around long enough for me to help fix it instead of running away and not letting me help at all.”

“I didn’t think you’d want...”

“You were wrong. I did.”

“I’m sorry. I just—I panicked when—_Marcel! _I didn’t mean to—I wasn’t trying to steal you from him. I mean, I wanted to. But I thought there wasn’t a chance in hell that you’d—and then Nick said you didn’t like Marcel and I forgot to check with him—,” Jesse paused to frown at Eugene. “What? Stop looking at me like that, Marcel’s my friend I—I’d be a real selfish asshole if I...” he trailed off, his hand starting to slip from Eugene’s arm.

“You’re a good friend,” Eugene said, catching Jesse’s fallen hand. “But Marcel and I weren’t ever really like that. You made sure of it. And then it was better like this anyway. He wouldn’t have left tonight if he minded at all that you stole me.”

Jesse’s worry dissipated and a soft wonder took his face instead. Eugene smirked at him, knowing what had him looking so happy. Predictable, materialistic Jesse.

“Yeah,” Eugene said, leaning forward again. Jesse stayed put. “You stole me. Caught me. Pinned me down.”

“And you came to get me,” Jesse returned, so still it was hard to tell if he was breathing. His words had been spoken as a statement but his lips were still parted slightly in a question, golden brows tilted up with hesitation, blue eyes both watchful and hopeful.

“Pretty,” Eugene murmured.

“What?”

“I said,” Eugene deliberately settled Jesse’s hand at his waist before leaving it, making instead to brush fingers past an ear that turned pink and into hair that stayed buttercup yellow. The reaction was small but immediate; Jesse’s eyes dipped closed for a millisecond as his head tilted into Eugene’s touch and his hold on Eugene’s waist tightened into a proper grip.

“You’re pretty,” Eugene finished. He didn’t want to close his eyes, to stop seeing Jesse. It seemed a waste not to look at him, especially like this. So he didn’t close his eyes until the last moment. Jesse’s lips were centimeters from his. He could practically feel the shape of them through softly exhaled air. “The prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Jesse didn’t move to close the distance, that was all Eugene. It was Eugene, too, that pressed their mouths together, but the moment he did, Jesse wrapped his arms up around Eugene’s back and pressed their bodies together. Convinced now that he hadn’t misunderstood, Jesse unfroze and took to the kiss eagerly. Eugene met his eagerness gladly.

Jesse tasted like cinnamon toothpaste because, apparently, mint was too common for him. Eugene wasn’t surprised, he’d noticed that Jesse favored cinnamon gum. It had probably occurred to him some time ago that Jesse’s mouth would taste of cinnamon at least some of the time. He wasn’t usually a fan of cinnamon gums and candies and toothpastes but it didn’t deter him at all from exploring Jesse to the fullest. Cinnamon was a much better flavor when on Jesse’s lips.

The sighs and hums Jesse offered up in response to every move Eugene made were dangerously alluring. He used them as a guide to find what Jesse liked. He thumbed over the shell of an ear and took up gentle handfuls of hair, only ever pushing through the fine strands with his fingers. Eugene was hesitant to pull it or to hold Jesse too roughly, he knew Jesse was quick to complain of hurt and discomfort. And, as fun as it was to tease Jesse for his sensitivities, Eugene didn’t dare push him, didn’t want to risk ruining this.

“Gene,” Jesse gasped as Eugene wound buttercup hair around the fingers of one hand and pressed the other into the small of Jesse’s back.

“You okay?” Eugene asked, making a conscious effort to loosen both his holds. But Jesse didn’t seem concerned with either.

“Gene,” he said again, adjusting his head so that it pressed into the side of Eugene’s, cheek to cheek. “I like you. I like you so much and I’m so sorry.”

Jesse’s arms were so tight around him that Eugene could feel the constriction in his chest. Or maybe that was something else.

“Dipshit, what’re you saying sorry for? I told you I’m not mad about the pool. I got over that as soon as I’d showered, you know me, I can’t hold a grudge to save my life.”

When Jesse’s only response was a weak laugh, Eugene massaged his fingers into Jesse’s head carefully, making a snarl of his hair he was sure to get told off for later. Right now, though, it just drove Jesse deeper into his shoulder with another little sigh.

“Jess,” he said into Jesse’s hair, kissing it and then returning to making a mess of it. “I don’t know how many more times you want me to say it but I like you too. So much. And I’m only sorry I didn’t come for you sooner.”

“Me too,” Jesse said and there was some of his haughty attitude back. “It took you forever.”

Eugene needed a better view of Jesse’s face, needed another go at his lips, needed him right then. So he took another handful of Jesse’s bangs, which he kept long enough to allow a proper hold and gave just enough of a pull for Jesse to follow. Eugene imagined his pout before he saw it, disgruntled at being handled so indelicately, eyes sharp in a warning not to pull that trick again. But the imagined pout didn’t match up exactly right with the real one. The real one was less upset and more entreating.

Eugene’s stomach turned all the way over at that look and, if he’d had more self-control, he would have been happy to just look at it for a while longer.

He’d run out of self-control.

This time, Jesse didn’t wait until Eugene kissed him to move. This time, he wrapped an arm around the back of Eugene’s head and pulled. It was impossible to tell if what happened next had been part of Jesse’s original plan or not but Eugene found himself falling forward as Jesse fell backward onto the bed.

Jesse had run out of self-control, too, then.

Here was another view Eugene wouldn’t mind admiring but Jesse didn’t give him time, insistently guiding Eugene back to his lips. Eugene wasn’t complaining. He didn't believe in saying no to a good thing. And kissing Jesse was definitely a good thing. Jesse shifted slightly beneath him and Eugene reacted automatically, situating his weight expertly between Jesse and an arm he used to prop himself up. It was comfortable for both of them this way.

Jesse’s eager kisses left no room for gradual build, diving in open-mouthed and hungry. It encouraged Eugene to be shamelessly hungry too. He let his unencumbered arm sneak out from under Jesse to run the length of his torso instead. A shiver made its way through Jesse and he tightened his fingers in Eugene’s hair as a result, being nowhere near as gentle about it as Eugene’s fingers were in his. Eugene didn’t mind.

Cool silk glided smoothly against skin, the thin fabric hiding nothing from Eugene’s touch, especially not with the cold. There was a roaring desire in the pit of Eugene’s stomach—still flipped over hopelessly from each sound and movement Jesse made—he wanted to rip open the shirt or reach a hand up under it. To feel every inch of skin with his own. Even a thin layer that hid nothing was too much between them for his tastes. He fought the desire away for now, savoring the tantalizing way the fabric slipped and slid and made Jesse squirm instead.

Jesse broke away so suddenly Eugene checked to make sure he wasn’t doing anything with his hands or weight that might have upset him. Everything seemed to be in order. Had he been too rough with the kissing? But Jesse just took a shuddering breath, the sort he took after talking himself in circles and forgetting to breathe. Eugene grinned down at him.

“How’s that for a wakeup kiss?” He asked. Jesse laughed. He must have been really delirious; that joke shouldn’t have made him laugh.

“I’m not convinced it _is_ a wakeup kiss.” Jesse’s smile was huge and uninhibited. “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

“I really am,” Eugene said before extracting his fingers from Jesse’s hair, leaving it a mess across the pillows. _How’s _that_ for fashionable bedhead?_ He thought triumphantly. Then he spotted something else strewn across the pillow.

“What?” Jesse demanded. “Why’re you smiling like that?”

“Do you have a matching sleep mask for all your pajamas?” Eugene asked, showing Jesse the scrap of silk he’d pulled from his hair. Jesse snatched it up, blushing furiously. He must have forgotten about it.

“No,” he said, too quickly. He knew it, too, because a moment later he amended, “I’ve only got the one that’s a set.”

“Very matchy-matchy, I dig it.”

“Don’t make fun,” Jesse glowered.

“I can’t help it, you’re ridiculous,” Eugene kissed him again, quick this time and just because he could. Jesse’s glower was considerably lessened when he pulled away. “But I dig you.”

“This must be real, I’d never dream about someone telling me they _dig_ me.”

“Diva,” Eugene said and smiled at Jesse’s offense. “But I _like _you anyway.”

Jesse considered this and found it sufficient, adopting a contented expression again. After tucking away his sleep mask—under his pillow, like a child hiding candy he wasn’t meant to have—Jesse found Eugene’s hand and twined their fingers, watching the way they fit together. Eugene watched Jesse watching the process of their hands uniting.

“You’re not leaving tonight, are you?” Jesse asked eventually, eyes still fixed on their hands. His face was flushed again when he turned his head to look from their hands to Eugene’s face. “It’s a long drive and it’s late. You only just got here, it seems exhausting to just turn around and leave.”

Eugene could have pointed out that Jesse had driven home late before, but this wasn’t an argument he wanted to win. Not even one he wanted to have.

“I’ll stay.” He’d told Mom he might be out all night already. At Marcel’s, he’d said because you weren’t meant to stay in dorms of schools you didn’t go to.

“Good,” Jesse said, turning again to smile at their hands. Eugene considered the sight too. It was with reluctance that he withdrew his from Jesse’s, with even greater reluctance that he pushed himself off Jesse completely and slid down the ladder.

Jesse sat bolt upright, displeasure written all over him as he glared down at Eugene.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking off my shoes,” Eugene replied, sitting on the edge of Marcel’s bed and bending to untie his laces. Jesse made a horrified sound.

“You didn’t take off your shoes? You were wearing them—_shoes—_in my _bed?”_

“Yeah but don’t worry, they’re squeaky clean. These’re my limited edition Adidas Asymmetrik sneakers, they’re in like-new condition. I keep ‘em pristine, your comforter won’t know the difference.” Sneakers off, Eugene carefully placed them on the floor before standing up and making for the ladder again.

“Why on earth are you wearing your favorite sneakers out in February? It’s muddy.”

“For luck,” Eugene reported matter-of-fact as he crawled partway back onto the bed—and Jesse.

“You didn’t need luck,” Jesse said after a long pause. He seemed fully over his distress about shoes having been on his bed.

“I know but…” Eugene shrugged. “Better safe than sorry, right?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Jesse said, glancing down at the sneakers neatly tucked partially under Marcel’s bed, “but that’s…kind of adorable.”

“There’s no wrong way to take that,” Eugene reached forward just enough to grab Jesse’s hand again. “Anyway, it’s probably time for sleep. So come give me a goodnight kiss.”

Jesse frowned.

“What? Get back up here. You’re not seriously suggesting you’ll sleep on_ Marcel’s_ bed.”

“Stop, I told you Marcel and I haven’t even _considered_ being anything besides friends for months, you psycho. And his is the only other bed in here.”

“And _I_ told _you_ to get back up here,” Jesse said, tugging at Eugene’s hand like that could possibly haul him the rest of the way up the ladder and onto the bed. “If you’re not going to sleep with me, you can sleep on the floor.”

Eugene laughed. Jesse made a sound between a squeak and a gasp, eyes going wide.

“I meant actually _sleep_, I wasn’t—obviously, I was just saying I want to—but you know what I meant. Just. Come here. _Please.”_

“You’ll regret it,” Eugene warned. Jesse went even pinker. It was an all-around bad idea but Eugene couldn’t resist those blushes. Hell, he couldn’t resist Jesse in general. So he climbed back onto the bed and pulled at the covers a little. “I’m technically wearing street clothes,” he said. “But do you mind if I come in anyway?”

In way of response, Jesse lifted the blankets, offering Eugene a spot next to him. As soon as Eugene had situated himself, Jesse was on him, head on his chest, arms ‘round his middle, a leg even hooking up over Eugene’s. Eugene wasn’t much of a snuggler—not in this context. Not in a laying down, in bed, snuggling with someone after kissing them kind of way. To him, it suggested intimacy and permanence. And he’d never wanted to give anyone mixed signals. The wrong idea.

Eugene scooped an arm around Jesse’s shoulders and pulled him even closer against him. The chill of the room made Jesse’s warmth even more appealing and it felt good to hold him.

“‘Night, Jesse Bear,” Eugene whispered, only kissing his temple very lightly. Somewhere along the way, Jesse had retrieved his silky mask and put it back on his head. Eugene breathed out another laugh and pulled the mask down over Jesse’s eyes, kissed his head one more time, and dropped his hand. He knew if he did anything more, it would just be hard to stop. And this was nice too, in a different way than Eugene had ever known.

With a yawn, Eugene closed his eyes. But he didn’t fall asleep until he’d found Jesse’s hand—or maybe it was that Jesse’s hand had found his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this fic takes second place for my (current) longest Fence fic, I am forced to face the reality that my joke about Trouble getting to be half the length of Truths might not actually be a joke for much longer. Because, no, we're not done yet lmao holy shit why am I like this
> 
> oooooh my god guys guess the fuck what!! We have been blessed! The crazy-talented [internetbanality](https://internetbanality.tumblr.com//) made [this](https://internetbanality.tumblr.com/post/625023748782931968/from-trouble-by-applesandbannas747-nobody) incredible comic of Eugene and Jesse from this chapter!!! 💜💜💜


	18. Chapter 18

Eugene was confused at the heavy weight on him when he first woke up. Brain fuzzy, he thought Fritz must have had a nightmare and crawled into bed with him last night. Then his brain woke up and his eyes snapped open.

Jesse.

Jesse was latched securely onto him, his infernal sleep mask somehow still in place, only very slightly askew from the night’s sleep.

Jesse.

Eugene had done it.

Taken the plunge.

Gotten the guy.

Jesse.

Smiling, he slid Jesse’s eye mask off again, letting it fall to the mattress carelessly. Not even the blackout curtains could block out the morning light enough to prevent a clear view of Jesse’s light-rooted eyelashes, settled softly against cheeks for a handful of seconds more before fluttering awake. He groaned.

“It’s too bright,” he said, reaching for a mask that wasn’t there.

With eyes sleepily narrowed, hair sticking up in all directions, and a faint imprint of the mask’s band by his right eye, Jesse looked an absolute mess. The whole thing was only made worse by Jesse’s clear disorientation.

“Morning,” Eugene flattened a piece of Jesse’s hair into place but it popped right back up again. He smirked. “Your beauty sleep really works wonders, huh?”

Jesse squinted at him before all lingering confusion disappeared to be replaced by wide and horrified eyes as a hand came up to tug at his hair and then, to Eugene’s delight, wipe at his mouth like he thought he might have been drooling.

“Stop laughing or I’ll shove you,” he threatened, grouchy. It only endeared Eugene to this morning Jesse even more because, despite all grouchiness, Jesse had yet to let go of him at all.

“I’m surprised to find you still in bed, actually,” Eugene said with a kiss to Jesse’s messy hair.

“Where else would I have gone?”

“The floor,” Eugene said plainly. “I’m a restless sleeper. Always get banished to couches on family vacations because I shove anyone I’m sharing with off the bed.”

Now Jesse did untangle himself from Eugene to sit up, accusation clear in expression and body language alike.

“This is a _bunk bed,”_ he said shrilly, “if you’d kicked me off, I could have died!”

“I doubt it. And I did warn you. _You’re_ the one that demanded I come spoon you.”

“I thought you meant—,”

“I meant that too,” Eugene’s grin turned sly, “but _that_ I can control.”

Jesse stared hard at him, squintiness back in full swing.

“You must have known you were holding something precious.” His face was set stubbornly, daring Eugene to contradict him. And then he slid back down under the covers and pulled Eugene close against him like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He seemed to have settled into the idea of Eugene liking him overnight, acting for now as if it had always been a given.

  


* * *

  


“Do you have to go?” Jesse asked, a whine kept at bay in his voice. It shouldn’t have made Eugene want to kiss him so bad, but it did. And, since there was nothing stopping him, he did.

“I’d better clear out before someone catches on,” he said, pulling away from Jesse. “And Marcel will wanna come back to his room eventually.”

“I know.” The words were accompanied by a sigh.

“But,” Eugene offered casually, “you could come with me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. If you’re not too busy.”

“I’m not,” Jesse said at once, unashamed by his enthusiasm. “Where?”

“Anywhere, I guess. I’d been planning on home but if you’ve got something else in mind, I’m game.”

“No, that works. Let me just—,” he didn’t finish, abandoning the rest of the sentence in favor of actually collecting his things.

“I recognize that sweater,” Eugene observed before Jesse had pulled a coat on over it. He shot a glance at Eugene, discomforted of the reminder of their disastrous last meeting.

“I like it.”

“I like it too.”

“I’ve only worn it once since I got it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’d like to associate it with something better so I can actually use it.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Eugene began seriously. Jesse had already taken it the wrong way, by the looks of it. “But that’s kind of adorable.”

“Oh,” Jesse laughed at the echo of his own words, relieved that there wasn’t really a wrong way to take them. “I shouldn’t have fallen for that. It’s your stupid serious voice, it’s more trustworthy than you are.”

“You should know better by now.”

“I can’t help it, you don’t give anything away until you want to, I can never spot the joke until you’re already laughing at it.”

“That’s the way I like it, makes it funnier on my end of things. You ready?”

“Almost,” Jesse said, retrieving something out of Eugene’s sight. He was undeniably glad—possibly even smug—when he saw Jesse slip them around his neck.

“I recognize those too.”

“They’re my favorites.”

“Do they also need to be taken along to make good memories with?”

“No.”

Eugene watched as Jesse arranged the headphones absently, a private smile taking him. Jesse didn’t even realize how obvious he was, no doubt replaying the way he’d gotten the headphones. And then his expression fell, memory reaching the part when it had all gone wrong.

“C’mon,” Eugene said, grabbing Jesse’s hand and taking him to the door. “Let’s hit the road.”

Jesse nodded and followed, pausing to lock his door before retaking Eugene’s hand. To his credit, when he saw the car Eugene took him to—large and gray and the opposite of sleek—Jesse didn’t even make a face. Eugene knew it was only because he was still fretting over the pool incident and was too distracted to care that the car he was climbing into wasn’t in keeping with the Jesse Coste brand.

The engine roared to life and the heat spluttered on. It would take a minute before it actually did anything, though. Jesse still didn’t complain.

“I have told you I’m not mad about the pool anymore, right?” Eugene wondered after Jesse had stayed suspiciously silent for suspiciously long.

“I’m sorry,” Jesse said meekly. “I didn’t mean to—I thought—,” a deep breath and a long, slow exhale. “I thought I’d ruined everything.”

“You didn’t.”

“I thought Marcel was probably better for you after all.”

“I like you way better than that pesky moose. He’s made me and all of my siblings late for school more times than the school would ever believe.”

“Eugene,” Jesse admonished. “I’m serious, I’m sorry for it all. For pushing you in the pool.And for disappearing after. I wish I’d done it all different.”

Eugene mulled it over, trying to decide what Jesse needed to hear.

“Me too,” he said at last, completely honestly. “I wish you hadn’t had a spaz attack but I understand now why you did. About worrying Marcel would be hurt and all. It was misguided but decent of you to think about him. And I wish you hadn’t left but I can see why you did that too. If I’d handled it better, maybe you’d have stayed long enough for us to sort it out. But next time, actually talk to me, okay?”

“I’m not going to push you in a pool again.”

Eugene fully planned on pushing _Jesse_ into a pool sometime. When it was warm and the water was inviting instead of freezing and Jesse was in his swimsuit. In his imagined scenario, Jesse wore the sunset trunks because Eugene liked those better on him. But he didn’t say any of that. It would ruin the surprise come summer.

“I wasn’t really talking about the pool. I meant the being impossible to hold a conversation bullshit you pulled after.”

“I was giving you space,” Jesse said defensively.

“Man, I didn’t fucking want space and I don’t know how I could have made that clearer. _Space_ is what you give people when they’ve rejected you. _Space _is what you should have given Seiji. But I didn’t reject you.”

“After the pool, you were so mad, you would have.”

“You didn’t even confess, dude. And I wouldn’t have.”

“You were pissed.”

“For two seconds. And I wouldn’t have rejected you.”

“Then why didn’t you say?”

“I couldn’t get you to pick up your damn phone or get you out for a playdate, when was I supposed to tell you?”

“I said sorry.” Jesse was evidently done with apologizing because the way he spat it out was more of a sullen defense than a show of remorse.

From the corner of his eye, Eugene could see Jesse’s hands set in his lap, clenched together. It was a straight shot home, no turns or tricky maneuvering required for miles. Without looking away from the road, Eugene reached a hand over to Jesse’s laps and pulled apart Jesse’s stiff hands, taking one of them for his own.

“Just don’t do that shit again,” he said.

“I told you, I won’t.” Then, less defensive as his hand readjusted in Eugene’s to get comfortable, “You’re really not mad?”

“About my swim? No, I’m really not mad. And I forgive you for your bullshit.”

“And Marcel—,”

“God, Jess, are you never going to let that go? I thought you’d learned better than to go assuming you know who people should be with or who’s better for them. Seiji got to choose and so do I. And I choose you.”

Eugene felt the effect that had on Jesse. In Eugene’s mind, it was obvious already that he’d chosen Jesse. He’d proven it through words and actions both in the last day, but Jesse always seemed to need more than what would satisfy anybody else. To come for him and tell him you liked him wasn’t enough but this was. Verbal and absolute proof that Eugene had chosen him. Not Marcel. Not goddamn Toby from the headphone store. Not Aiden with the hair. Not the pretty waiter. _Jesse._

“I guess I really needed your help to sort out my thoughts,” Jesse said quietly, all calmed down and sounding slightly embarrassed. But he was pleased, too, despite it all.

“You think?”

“You can’t cause me any more anxiety, Gene, I mean it. Who am I supposed to talk to if it’s _you_ I need advice about?”

“Literally just talk to me,” Eugene said with a laugh. “I’d be able to give you the best advice.”

“Hmm,” Jesse hummed, like he didn’t quite believe it. Eugene squeezed his hand.

“I’m serious. Just come to me.”

“Still. Don’t make me.”

It was probably pointless to promise not to cause Jesse any more stress since he was so great at working himself up over nothing, but Eugene agreed anyway, figuring he’d solve any stress he caused so it didn’t really matter.

“You always give me shit for driving one-handed,” Jesse said after a pause. It was obvious he’d wanted to say it for a while and just as obvious that he didn’t plan on giving Eugene his hand back despite bringing it up.

“Because you need both hands to drive half as well as I can drive with one.”

“Not true.”

“Do you see me flailing around or taking my eyes off the road or drifting into other lanes—,”

“That happened _once_,” Jesse cut in.

“That I saw,” Eugene countered. “You’re too all over the place.”

“Am not.”

Eugene pretended not to hear that and they moved on, catching up on a month and a half’s worth of life. Jesse was full to bursting with stories and insights he’d refused to text for fear of coming off too clingy. There wasn’t a nice way to say that _that_ ship had sailed months and months ago so Eugene didn’t say anything at all on the subject. He’d missed Jesse’s tirades and rantings more than he’d ever admit to him, though, so he was happy enough just listening.

“Shit,” Jesse swore suddenly and, at first, Eugene was convinced it was because he’d needed his right hand to pull into the driveway. “I talked the whole drive and never asked how you’ve been.”

“No need,” Eugene was already turning the key. “I’ve been good, same as always.”

“But—,”

“Chill bro, you’re fine.”

Jesse’s face puckered. “Bro,” he said with distaste, “is not a very endearing endearment for—I’m just saying, you call _everyone_ that.”

“Don’t even start with me,” Eugene warned cheerily. “No way will I remember not to call you bro so you’re just gonna have to deal.”

Jesse looked ready to argue but thought better of it. “Fine,” he uncrossed his arms and tried the door. It didn’t open. He tried again, shoving harder up against the side of it. Eugene watched him try one more time before going around to let him out, laughing again at Jesse’s face, no longer pouting but embarrassed.

“You didn’t have to,” he started, then tried again as he slid out of the car, “I swear I really couldn’t get the door to open.”

“I know,” Eugene replied, still holding the passenger door ajar and blocking the way for Jesse to get properly far from the car. It was too tempting to steal a kiss with Jesse standing there looking so abashed. It was the blushes that always did Eugene in. In front of his house wasn’t a great place to start anything so Eugene kept it brief, gratified by Jesse’s surprise over even the single kiss. “The door doesn’t like to open from the inside,” Eugene explained, pulling away and backing up so Jesse had space to move. “It gets stuck.”

“Oh.” Then, “And you let me sit there and fight with it instead of coming to let me out in the first place?”

“Yup. You coming or what?”

“You—wait up, I’m coming,” Jesse said, hurrying to catch up once he’d realized Eugene was already on his way to the house. Eugene hadn’t been going anywhere near fast enough to lose Jesse, just enough to make him get over it and hurry up.

Eugene paused to wait for him anyway.


	19. Chapter 19

The boys were over the moon at Jesse’s return, pulling him into the living room practically before he’d managed to hop out of his boots. Eugene snagged his coat, which he hadn’t had time to shed before getting abducted by the gremlins.

“I’m home,” He called to the house at large. “And I brought Jesse.”

“Welcome back!” Dad’s voice boomed from somewhere upstairs. Mom’d be at work by now but it was an early shift so she’d be here soon enough.

In the living room, the TV was booted up to some video that the boys thought was hilarious. Jesse was squished back into the couch and politely watching even though it was clear he didn’t understand the joke.

Luna was missing so Eugene went to roust her out of her room. To his surprise, he found her looming in her open doorway.

“Perfect, I was just about to come nab you.”

“Why? Jesse’s here.”

“You’re right, I can’t possibly hang out with you and the brothers and Jesse all at once. I’d better take him somewhere else.”

Luna stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes back into his head because he knew she hated that.

“Gross, Gene, stop it,” she groused, just like she always groused when he did it.

“Come on, I thought we could break out some board games.”

“Does Jesse even like board games?”

“Probably not.”

This got her to smile. “Alright.”

“Okay.”

“You never said, did he like the headphones?”

“Go see for yourself,” Eugene said, catching the back of her neck and squeezing hard enough to count as revenge for her trespassing. “He’s taken some fashion inspiration from you,” he pulled at the headphones she had surgically attached around her neck. She bared her teeth like she might bite him but the odds of that were relatively low. They hadn’t had a biting incident in years.

“_That_ is not at all like how I dress,” Luna said, stopping short in her tracks when she spotted Jesse on the couch. She sounded utterly offended. When Eugene followed her gaze to the couch, he saw why.

“Really, Jess? I leave you unsupervised for two minutes and you do _that?”_

“What?” Jesse asked, frowning up at Luna and Eugene.

Jesse had his yellow sweater tied neatly across his shoulders like some country club douchebag, that was what.

“You look like the mean girl from _Clifford_.”

_Or that_, Eugene thought, laughing and chucking his little sister on the shoulder.

“She’s got a point, J-Money.”

“Unfortunately, Gene, you aren’t always around to carry my outerwear and I’d rather die than wear a sweater around my waist. So you’re just going to have to deal with it.”

“Just hold it like a normal person,” Eugene suggested.

“No. I’m nowhere near normal.”

“_Or_ fashionable,” Luna commented, elbowing Eugene as she made past him for the game cupboard. “_Betrayal_, do you think?”

With that, the coffee table got cleared and the TV mostly abandoned as everyone gathered around. Everyone that knew anything, anyway.

“Jess, c’mere,” Eugene said. Jesse didn’t look convinced that he wanted to _c’mere_ at all but he did anyway. He even took the leftover game piece—the little girl—without complaint.

At his blank look after Luna—the unequivocal queen of board games when you could get her off her phone—gave a rundown of the rules, Eugene patted his shoulder under it’s stupidly worn sweater and said:

“It’ll make sense after we go a couple rounds. You’ll catch on.”

“If you say so.”

“One time Gene was a cannibal,” Fritz chirped helpfully. Jesse didn’t look reassured.

“I’m pretty sure Madame Zostra’s always a cannibal,” Junior mused. “I think it’s just that she got more hungry than usual that game.”

“Or maybe you all looked tastier than usual,” Eugene put in. “Alright, we ready?”

“I suppose,” Jesse said hesitantly.

“Let’s just hope you aren’t the traitor,” Eugene told him.

“No,” Luna grinned wickedly. “Let’s hope he _is.”_

“Yeah,” Marcus agreed. “That’d be funny.”

“Why?” Jesse asked.

“Traitoring is hard,” Fritz explained. “Once when it was me, I didn’t read it right—,”

“And he basically made it impossible for us to win,” Marcus hadn’t ever gotten over their loss that game. He and Fritz had gotten into it over an accusation of cheating. Tears had been shed and pieces of the board had been thrown. They were still missing the catacombs from that. Eugene didn’t think it was a great loss, he’d gotten stuck in that fucker for a whole game and had avoided it religiously ever since.

“Now Dad or Mom has to help me when I’m traitor,” Fritz said, scootching away from Marcus purposefully to show he didn’t appreciate the old grudge. “I bet Dad would help you, too, if it is you.”

“You can’t just help me instead?”

“No,” Fritz said seriously. “And neither can Gene even though he likes you,” this was said pointedly at Eugene, like Fritz thought _he_ needed reminding. Eugene caught him for a quick noogie.

“Don’t trust me, huh?” He asked as Fritz clawed at his arm.

“Nuh-uh, you’re too nice to him.”

“See?” Eugene asked, releasing Fritz. “I told you I was nice to you.”

“There’s no being friends with the traitor,” Fritz insisted, unimpressed with Eugene’s distraction. In his defense, Jesse was looking incredibly distracting. Even with his Clifford-country-club-douche fashion sense. Something about the conversation had pleased him and he was doing a worse job than usual of hiding it, which was really saying something.

“Unless the haunt says so,” Luna added. “But those are rare. Can we start now?”

They did. And Jesse got the hang of it fast enough, though he was a complete pushover. He let Marcus rearrange where he tried to put new pieces of the board and then practically dictate his entire first three turns before finally going his own way. Only after Marcus had given him bad advice for a laugh.

“Isn’t this a little…_grim_ for children?” Jesse asked, staring down at the card he’d been reading aloud. It was one of the more gruesome ones.

“They’re fine,” Junior dismissed. Jesse gave him a look like _I meant you too_, which made Eugene laugh and bump a shoulder into Jesse for no other reason than for the brief contact it provided. Jesse was already finding his footing in this house.

The game went long, and when the haunt was finally revealed, Luna cackled in glee. Jesse was traitor. Of course.

“Phone,” Marcus said, holding out a hand to Jesse abruptly. Jesse startled back so violently in his surprise that everyone around the table joined in on Luna’s cackling.

“Pardon me?” Jesse only stared at Marcus’s hand, nonplussed.

“Gimme your phone so we know Eugene’s not playing double agent.”

“I would _never,”_ Eugene loaded the word with offense.

“Phone,” Marcus said again, fingers wiggling.

Jesse reluctantly handed over his phone, looking to Eugene as he was given the traitor’s handbook instead.

“You’ll do great,” Eugene assured Jesse before he was banished to Eugene’s bedroom so the rest of them could talk strategy. It was likely there’d be more snooping than strategy happening on Jesse’s end of things.

“We’re gonna crush him,” Luna announced, loud enough that Jesse could almost certainly hear if he’d been straining to listen in—and he almost certainly had been.

They did. Crush him. Or, they were in the process of crushing him. All things considered, he was holding his own pretty well.

“Did you check your monster movements?” Eugene asked when it was Jesse’s turn again. The monsters hadn’t done anything since Jesse had placed them. The siblings groaned. “Shut it, it’s not a fair victory if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Jesse said huffily.

“Yeah, leave him to it,” Luna narrowed eyes at Eugene. He wasn’t deterred by this any more than he had been by the groaning.

“Jess, just check your rulebook, usually monsters can move. Or do something else to help you instead of just sit there.”

Jesse did as asked, checking again. “Oh, huh.” Eugene rolled his eyes but Jesse didn’t catch it. He was too busy figuring out his strategy for the monster turn. “Alright, l think I can…” he maneuvered one of his zombies over to Junior’s player—the jock that Eugene thought should have been _his,_ but they’d gotten the game while he was at Kings Row so all pieces had already been claimed by the time he got to play.

“Traitor,” Junior glared across the board as the zombie attacked. He wasn’t talking to Jesse.

“You’ll live.”

“Yeah, barely,” he grumbled, taking one point of damage.

“Tough.”

Even with his monsters doing his bidding, Jesse was vanquished and the day was saved. Eugene managed to redeem himself to his team, delivering the killing blow. Jesse frowned at the little girl miniature that Eugene’s blue cannibal had just knocked violently down.

“That was rather excessive,” he said, turning that frown on Eugene.

“No being friends with traitors!” Fritz reminded him gleefully. He and Marcus were celebrating their win by wrecking the map with their own game pieces. Fritz took a moment to have his little boy hop on Jesse’s already felled little girl.

“I did all I could to give you a fighting chance,” Eugene shrugged, “but I like winning. And you were evil. Justice had to be served.”

“Another round?” Luna asked hopefully. _Betrayal at House on the Hill _was her favorite. Macabre and strategic and never the same twice. She’d have them playing all day and well into the night if she could.

“I want to play something else,” Junior said, crawling over to the game cupboard and rummaging through it.

“Apples to Apples?” Fritz suggested.

“No, that’s for babies. What about—,” Junior emerged from the cupboard with a gleam in his eyes and a box in his hands.

“No way,” Eugene said.

“Fritz and Marc can go play legos upstairs.”

“Yeah, and you can go with them,” Luna scoffed.

“_You_ can go with them too,” Eugene told her.

“But I’m old enough to play _Cards Against Humanity,”_ she protested, “I play it all the time with my friends.”

“Bet Mom wouldn’t be happy to hear that.”

“Bet Mom wouldn’t be happy to hear about Gwen.”

“How do you know about—whatever, I don’t care if you play it with your little friends, no way am _I_ playing that with you for at least another three years.”

“No fair! You got the game when you were my age.”

“Because Dad doesn’t read things as carefully as he should.” Eugene couldn’t help smiling at the memory. He’d asked for it for Christmas years ago and Dad had actually gotten it, never bothering to wonder what kind of game it was. Luna must have snuck into his room—again—to retrieve that box because it lived in his bedroom when it wasn’t in his dorm.

“I want to play,” Fritz complained.

“No you don’t,” Jesse said, so assuredly that everyone stared at him, waiting for an explanation. He delivered. “Unless you like looking up words in dictionaries.”

“You need a dictionary to play?” Fritz was already visibly deterred.

Jesse nodded solemnly but Eugene saw his mouth working hard to keep from pulling into a smile. “Yes,” he said, “it’s terrible.”

“You’re not gonna play it?”

“No, we’re not playing it,” Jesse confirmed.

“Then you can build legos with me and Marcus instead!”

“Jesse doesn’t want to play legos with you,” Junior said meanly. “He’s too grown up for little kid stuff.”

“I—,” Jesse didn’t get very far.

“He is not! Dad likes legos and he’s way older than Jesse.”

“Knock it off, both of you,” Eugene said, swiping the box of cards from Junior and shoving them into Luna’s hands. “Keep that in your room if you’re gonna steal it from mine.”

“I want to—,”

“Junior, you’re too little. I sometimes think my freshies are too little to play it so you’re _definitely_ too little.”

“I’m _not_ little.”

“Littler than me so drop it or I’ll squish you.”

“What about a movie?” Jesse asked, and Eugene realized that while he’d been talking to Junior, Jesse had still been talking quietly to Fritz. The suggestion had come from whatever conversation they’d been having.

“Did you guys ever finish _Bumblebee?”_ Eugene picked up on this new idea. A movie sounded good.

Jesse’s phone interrupted the answer, singing out with a basic ringtone.

“Wait, so that god awful song from before is _only_ set for Eugene?” Luna asked while Jesse fished out his phone. “That’s so—,”

“Gene, can I borrow your room again?” Jesse asked, deciding to ignore Luna completely. A wise course of action.

“Sure. Everything good?”

“Yeah, it’s only Mom. But I’d better take it.”

Eugene watched until Jesse was out of sight, then he started collecting the game pieces to drop in the box. Luna batted him away soon enough since he never organized it to her liking. He went on a hunt for the TV remote instead, finding it jammed down between couch cushions. No one complained when he got the movie ready to play. Either they’d never finished it or didn’t mind watching it again.

Mom came home and Fritz bounced off to greet her. Eugene did too—with considerably less bouncing. She smiled at him and pushed the two gallons of milk she’d been carrying into his hands so she could take off her shoes. Whenever he came home, they went through milk at what Mom had called _an alarming rate. _

“Hey Ma,” he said, “have a good day?”

“Yes, but I’m glad to be home. And how was your night?”

“It was good. I brought Jesse over, that cool?”

Mom didn’t even consider it, just nodded and headed into the kitchen. Eugene followed.

“Of course that’s alright. Your friends are always welcome here.”

“Yeah, I know,” Eugene said, taking longer than necessary to rearrange the fridge to accommodate the milk.

Finally fitting it in, he shut the door and leaned up against the counter. He was talking to Mom, but Dad had come downstairs now too, and all the siblings were loitering about. It was strange but he’d never had to do this part before.

“And Jesse’s not exactly my friend.” That got all the extra noise to cut off right away. “He’s actually like, well he _is_ my boyfriend.”

Eugene didn’t really believe in coming out. He never had; he told when asked or when relevant but it didn’t often seem important when he talked to his family. He wasn’t sure that it had ever come up before, not explicitly. There’d never been any effort to hide himself from them—he was open about his attraction to boys as well as girls, was pretty sure that everyone had gotten the hint. But he didn’t date. And he didn’t come out. He’d never been bothered to do either so to be doing both at once wasn’t something he’d really expected to do, not for ages. Maybe not ever.

“I thought he must be,” Mom nodded again, like this made sense. “You never introduce your friends to me these days.”

“Yeah and you let him call you _Gene_,_”_ Fritz supplied, clambering up onto a tall chair next to Eugene. “You don’t let _anyone _call you that unless you really like ’em.”

“You promised you’d tell me first thing when you got serious,” Junior said, also wandering into the kitchen and scooping up a peach as if that was what had actually called him in here, “but you look at him so mushy, you didn’t even have to say.”

“And you helped him at _Betrayal,” _Marcus added. “When you were on _our_ team.”

“Headphones,” Luna chipped in simply and Eugene glared at her. Apparently his whole family was convinced he’d been dating Jesse for months but Luna knew better, he knew she did.

“Not to mention, you were pretty cozy on the couch the other night—,”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Eugene interrupted Dad and held up his hands in surrender. “I’m super obvious. Jeez, give me a break.”

“I like him,” Marcus shrugged. “He says he’ll give me a ride in his car sometime.”

When had Jesse said _that? _Then Eugene noticed someone lurking in the entrance to the kitchen, the last person in the house who wasn’t already in it. How long, Eugene wondered, had Jesse been standing there?

“Yeah, I kinda like him too,” he said to Marcus, but his eyes were on Jesse now.

“So we get to keep him?” Fritz asked, nabbing a piece of the peach Junior had cut up. He’d only recently been allowed free use of the knife drawer and cut up everything unnecessarily. Fritz loved it, kid only liked fruits when they were sliced or diced.

“I’ve got a strict _no returns _policy,” Jesse, knowing Eugene had spotted him, stepped into the hubbub. “So you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”

“Splendid,” Mom swept over to lead Jesse even farther into the kitchen, depositing him next to Eugene. “How have you been?”

Jesse tried for polite and simple but Mom had him talking about his busy schedule and the upcoming nationals tournaments in no time. She had a way of drawing people out like that.

“You should win again this year,” Marcus told him. Jesse laughed.

“That’s the plan.”

“Here, I’ll give you a high-five for luck.”

“How generous,” Jesse said, amused as Marcus arranged his hands. Everyone else watched on with equal or greater amusement. Except Mom.

“Marcus, don’t—,” she started tiredly, knowing she couldn’t stop it but having to try anyway.

The room resonated with the loud clap of Marcus’s monster high-five and Jesse yanked his hands away, shaking them like they’d been burned.

“Ow!” He yelped, hilariously surprised. It was so obvious he’d only recently acquired a little brother. Most people knew better than to trust Marcus.

“Marcus, apologize,” Mom told him sternly.

“That’s alright,” Jesse said, recovering well from the surprise attack he should have seen coming. He was looking down at his hands and frowning. “You turned them red,” he looked at Marcus, “doesn’t that hurt your hands too?”

“I’m made of tougher stuff than that.”

“Marcus!” Mom scolded.

“Sorry.”

“Really, if you don’t behave, Jesse won’t want to come visit anymore.” It was one her favorite incentives for good behavior. _If you’re not nice to Lolo, he won’t come anymore_, she’d say when their grandpa came over and they ran rampant around him, demanding gifts and treats. Eugene was surprised when this trick worked for Jesse too.

“Fine,” Marcus said, dropping his satisfied grin. “Wanna go watch the movie?”

As Marcus led the migration back to the TV room, Eugene stopped Jesse in the hall.

“Everything good with you mom?” He asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, she just wanted to know if I wanted to come home today. Dad’s working with Nick at Kings Row all day so we’re not doing our usual dinner but,” he shrugged, “she wanted to check in, I guess. It’s crazy because I never used to go home so much, it’s only because Dad wants to see Nick since, well, you know...but I think Mom doesn’t want me to feel left out. Like, I already know we only do weekly dinners for Nick but she’s worried I’ll be upset that when he’s not able to come over, we kind of skip it.”

“You’re not upset that you don’t get special dinners?”

“Not really. Not anymore. I’ve gotten family dinners all my life with Dad. There’s no reason to go to extra effort to stop by home when I live there full-time.”

“Except when you’re at school, then you only live at home part-time.”

“You know what I mean. I live there more full-time than Nick does so seeing me isn’t such a big priority.”

“After _Bumblebee,” _Eugene decided, “I’m taking you home.”

“There’s no need—,”

“Seeing family is always a priority. I bet your mom’d like the company, sounds lonely not having anyone come home when you’ve gotten used to it.”

“I’ll let her know,” Jesse relented, trying to seem nonchalant about it, but he was plainly pleased that Eugene thought he was worth special dinners even nights Nick wasn’t coming over.

The couch was deceptively full when Eugene and Jesse finally made their way to it. The boys had a way of spreading over a surface and leaving no room for anyone else. Unless you were willing to make them budge up, and Eugene was. They ended up in a similar configuration to the last time they’d tried to watch this movie: Luna on the chair, Jesse between the armrest of the couch and Eugene, Marcus and Junior on Eugene’s other side, and Fritz sat on top of Eugene. Fritz quickly melted to spread out across all of them, head plopped down on Jesse’s lap and feet landing squarely in Junior’s lap—Junior was less gracious about the situation than Jesse was, but he’d also gotten the worse end of the deal.

Eugene started the movie over. It was stupid to start in the middle, especially after so long since they’d watched the first half. When it was over, Eugene would have to drive Jesse home. Until then, though, he got to feel Jesse pressed up against his side, a little rigid and awkward at the cramped seating arrangement. He’d adjust and settle into it if given time, just as he had before. To speed up the process, Eugene swung an arm around Jesse and pulled him closer, not caring that everyone could see them _getting cozy_. He could be as obvious as he wanted to be now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes I bet you all read some of the shit I write and wonder if I’ve ever considered _not_ stuffing it full of things and references only I understand. The answer is no. Well, the answer is yes, just not for long. I recommend you give betrayal at house on the hill a play if ever the opportunity arises.


	20. Chapter 20

Before he left, Jesse received a hug each from Mom and Fritz, a clap on the back from Dad, a fist bump from Junior, a knowing but complementary remark about his headphones from Luna, and another double high-five from Marcus. Eugene had been impressed when Jesse had actually held out his hands at Marcus’s request, knowing full well what was coming. He’d only flinched a little when preparing for impact but Marcus, always one to keep you on your toes, had brought his hands to a sudden halt inches before collision and poked Jesse’s palms instead. Baffled, Jesse had thanked him before Eugene had pulled him out the door.

They spent the drive with Jesse’s music turned low—he’d been amazed at the cassette tape that let him plug in his phone—and they talked. A lot, and about everything. Eugene had missed Jesse’s incessant chattering but when Jesse accused him of _smiling like you know something I don’t,_ Eugene didn’t elaborate or explain. There was obvious and then there was moony-eyed. Eugene had never done moony-eyed before and it wasn’t his intention to start now, much as Jesse would love to be fawned over.

“Thanks for the ride,” Jesse said when Eugene stopped the car in the massive driveway of an even more massive house. He turned off his phone’s GPS; Jesse had kept forgetting to impart directions in time and then complained that it was too much effort to keep track of directions _and_ conversation, so Eugene had made him turn on the navigation system. Jesse had been offended about that too.

“No problem.”

“Do you think it’ll be ages before I’ll see you again?”

“I hope not. But it might be,” Eugene had never been good at sugarcoating. “If cars were allowed on campus…”

Jesse sighed, falling back against his seat. “I told you that rule fucking sucks.”

Eugene hadn’t ever had any reason to mind it before. He kept friends on hand at any location he spent substantial amounts of time at, so transport wasn’t important. A night out with the boys was still a night out with the boys no matter which specific boys you went out with. But Jesse wasn’t interchangeable like that.

“We’ll still see each other,” Eugene said carefully. “Just maybe not like this for a while. You know. Alone and all that.”

“Marcel,” Jesse said, turning his head to stare at Eugene with resignation. Unthinking, Eugene roughed a hand through Jesse’s hair. He didn’t even get chased away. “I guess it’s rude to ask to borrow his car to visit you and not invite him. Do you think he’ll mind? Hanging out with us, I mean.”

“Marcel’s chill. As long as we’re not Nick and Seiji levels of gross, he won’t mind.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“Yeah. But it’s not like we won’t talk.”

“I’ll call,” Jesse warned. “All the time.”

“I’ll pick up.”

Jesse glanced toward his house, then he was leaning across the center console and grabbing Eugene in a rush. The particular way Jesse kissed was already becoming familiar to Eugene. The way he seemed too focused on the task at hand to remember that kissing was more than just mouths. Big picture stuff had never been Jesse’s strong suit, but he didn’t resist any of the maneuvering Eugene asked of him; a little more tilt to the head guided by a hand in the crook of his neck, a readjustment of bodies led by a hand at the hip, pulling him closer and angling him so there wasn’t so much uncomfortable twisting of torsos and craning of necks to make the kiss work.

“I’ll miss this,” Jesse said breathlessly, hands still holding so tight, Eugene had no doubt he’d be leaning back in soon.

“Good.”

“You haven’t said you’ll miss me yet.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

“Obviously I’ll miss you. Obviously it’ll drive me insane to have you so far away.”

“Obviously,” Jesse agreed with a smug little smile. Eugene leaned in like he intended to kiss Jesse but knocked his forehead into Jesse’s instead. Eugene dissolved in laughter at Jesse’s surprised yelp.

“Don’t get cocky.”

Jesse was holding his forehead and scowling.

“If you left a mark, I swear I’ll—,” but he couldn’t think of a suitable threat.

“Hey, I was careful not to leave a single goddamn mark on you,” Eugene said, peeling Jesse’s hand off his forehead. It _was _slightly red. He snorted. “Wow, your skin doesn’t hide anything, does it? White _and _thin.”

“You’re awful,” Jesse shoved him. “Thanks again for the ride.”

“Aw, don’t be that way. You can’t leave like that.”

“Bye,” Jesse said tersely, reaching for the door. His face went pinched when he couldn’t get it open.

“Told you you couldn’t leave.” Eugene stretched over the center console again and grabbed Jesse’s shoulder, pulling him backward. He flailed spectacularly but not for long. Eugene buried his face in Jesse’s neck and inhaled his scent. Then he kissed the same spot. Knowing now that Jesse’s skin really did show everything, he didn’t do anything besides soft kisses. Knowing now that Jesse’s skin really did show everything, it was incredibly hard to restrain himself to nothing but soft kisses.

“Fine, you’re forgiven,” Jesse sighed.

“Thank you for your benevolence.”

Jesse really was a prince. Eugene kissed him once more, this time just by his jaw. Then he got out of the car to open Jesse’s door. Jesse took a moment to readjust his sweater, which he’d put back on in the car, and his hair in the tiny mirror in the visor. When he finally slid out of the car, he immediately wrapped Eugene in a hug.

“Thank you. For today and for everything.”

He pulled away but Eugene caught his hand, closing the car door shut behind him with the other one.

“What’re you doing saying goodbye to me so fast? I’ve got to come say hi to your mom.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Unless you tell me you don’t want me to, I’m gonna.”

“She’s—she thinks she’s way funnier than she is.”

“Or you don’t appreciate a good joke.”

In the end, Jesse allowed him to come in, holding tight to his hand all the way. He was as nervous as he’d been when Eugene had first introduced him to his family. That was funny to him since, if anything, Eugene ought to have been the one with nerves. But nerves weren’t really his style.

“Mom, I’m home,” Jesse called. Eugene looked around the house as Jesse took him deeper into it. It seemed the sort of place that could have produced someone like Jesse.

“I’m in the kitchen!” The response came. True to her word, Samantha Coste was sitting up on the kitchen counter with a bowl of carrots next to her and a paperback in her hands. She beamed when she looked up from it and saw her son.

“Mom, you remember Eugene?”

“Of course,” she said brightly, making no move to get down from the counter. “It’s good to see you again, Eugene.”

“You too, Sam. Reading anything good?”

“I can’t tell. I found it at the bank, they’ve got a little bookshelf where you can trade out books. I like to try the oldest one I can find whenever I go.”

“Mom’s a little weird,” Jesse said in a way that implied he’d like her to stop it, at least for now.

“I go for the oldest books at Kings Row, too. There’s some pretty entertaining annotations in some of them. Had a copy of_ Romeo and Juliet _in freshman year that was vandalized by your husband.” He didn’t mention that he still had it, having thought it too neat a find to return.

Sam nodded, pleased. “Will you be joining us for dinner?” She asked. “Or the night?”

“Mom!”

“It’s getting late and I’m sure it’s a long drive,” Sam said, ignoring Jesse’s distress.

“I’d love to, but if I don’t get back home, my little sister _will_ kill me. Just thought I’d drop in as long as I’m returning Jess from our playdate.”

Sam’s eyes dropped to their hands at that, so blatantly that it could only have been for effect—she’d have noticed this little detail right away, Eugene was sure of it. Jesse’s grip was already tight but it got even tighter now, his white knuckles at odds with his pink face.

“Right,” Sam said with a single but robust bark of laughter. “_Play_date.”


	21. Chapter 21

Trouble💛✨  
  
**Today,** 7:47 PM  
**Jesse:** You know those pretzels that are like bread? I don’t know what they’re called but they’re soft?  
  
**Eugene:** You mean…soft pretzels?  
  
**Jesse:** yeah   
  
**Eugene:** Yeah I do know those pretzels. Why?  
  
**Jesse:** I’m craving one like mad  
  
**Eugene:** rip   
  
**Jesse:** You’re not being very supportive  
  
  
  


Trouble💛✨  
  
**Eugene:** In what? Your soft pretzel craving?? What do you want me to do? Steal Coach’s car, go on a quest to find a fucking pretzel and dash it over to you?  
  
**Jesse:** Yes, that sounds great  
  
**Eugene:** double rip cuz that aint happening  
  
**Jesse:** 😞  
  
**Eugene:** Hey, you know what I’m craving like crazy right now?  
  
**Jesse:** what?  
  
**Eugene:** you   
  
  
  


“Who you texting?” Aiden cooed. On instinct, Eugene tucked the phone out of Aiden’s reach. It wasn’t the first time he’d called Eugene out for his constant texting and Eugene knew it wouldn’t be the last. He didn’t begrudge Aiden his fun, just as long as he kept his grubby hands off Eugene’s phone.

“His booooyfrieeeend,” Nick, smirking on the other side of the table, offered in the most obnoxious voice Eugene had ever heard. And, considering that he had four siblings and was the king of annoying voices himself, it was impressive that Nick’s took the cake.

Eugene shoved his dinner tray into Nick’s like a bumper car and got a good laugh at the knocked over chocolate milk Nick scrambled to reset.

“Yeah, guess I am,” Eugene agreed, too busy shooting off another text to come up with a witty reply. The chocolate milk induced flailing had been revenge enough for him.

“What, for real?” If the chocolate milk had been funny, Nick’s surprise was hilarious. It only lasted a second before he was smirking again, bigger than ever. “Knew it,” he said. “You can’t resist a pretty face.”

“And you can't resist a grumpy one,” Eugene returned. “No offense, Seiji.”

Seiji didn’t look any more offended by the comment than he was by most things, and Nick shrugged in surrender, eyes gone incredibly soft now that his attention was on Seiji. Eugene watched as he lifted an arm, leaned close, everything about him shouting his intention to catch his boyfriend around the shoulders or waist and pull him as close as the seating would allow. But he dropped the arm before it got far enough off the table for anyone else to notice and the posture he corrected now could have been written off as an accident. Eugene wondered, as he had for close to two months, what that was all about.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Aiden said, hands up in the universal signal for _time-out_. “You’ve got a _boyfriend?”_

“Don’t look so surprised, Candy Kane, I can get a guy.” That wasn’t the problem and they all knew it.

“I can’t believe you’re abandoning me!” Aiden said, playing up the drama. “What happened to bros before hoes—,”

“Jesse’s as much a bro as a hoe, one of the perks of liking dudes, dude.”

“You were my comrade in arms!” Aiden continued. “My fellow playboy—,”

“Not a playboy.”

“I can’t believe you let yourself get caught, don’t you remember our pact?”

“Nope. Wait—I do remember _a _pact but it was about cheese puffs.”

“It was an implied pact, Eugene. Who am I going to talk boys with in the locker room now?”

“You can always talk boys to me, Aiden. Your love life is endlessly entertaining to follow.”

“Your Jesse must be prettier than a pearl if you let him tie you down for real.”

“Yup.”

“I should have known, you’ve had your nose glued to your phone for long enough. _Trouble _just didn’t seem like a very romantic pet name to me, I guess.”

“You’ve got him in there under _Trouble?” _Nick asked, delighted.

“If the shoe fits and all that.”

“I can not believe you didn’t say you were courting, Labao,” Aiden cut in, still not ready to let it go. “Not a word on any endeavors for months and now I find out you had a boyfriend the whole time? I need the complete story.”

“Haven’t had Jess _the whole time,”_ Eugene said. But, in a way, he had. He’d been too busy juggling Jesse and all his drama to pursue anything. Marcel didn’t count for obvious reasons. Reasons that, once again, were Jesse-centered. _Huh._ Maybe Eugene _had_ had Jesse the whole time. Or Jesse had had him?

“What’s he like?” Aiden persisted.

How to explain Jesse Coste?

“You’ve already got the gist of him.” Even as he said it, Eugene knew that whatever _gist_ of Jesse Aiden had couldn’t be all that accurate.

“Pretty and troublesome?”

“You’ve boiled him down to his essence.”

Eugene didn’t elaborate on everything about Jesse that was unexpected and sweet. Didn’t share about his secret smile or his creeping anxiety. Didn’t offer up stories about Jesse fumbling through storytime with his brothers or getting tackled by them later. Didn’t tell about his questionable driving or his sensitive ears. That Jesse was just for Eugene and, for now, he was going to be greedy with every bit of it. It was too new to him to want to share, even if Aiden was used to more details than this. He’d get his details eventually. When Eugene was willing to share them.

  


* * *

  


“So, you and Jesse.”

“Jesus, Nick, I thought you’d run off with Seiji,” Eugene said, catching his friend in a headlock and giving him a noogie for the sneak attack. He’d been on his way to his room after dinner, already trying to compose a text to Jesse and, apparently, not paying enough attention to his surroundings because Nick’s sudden appearance had made him jump. He was just glad the hall was empty and no one else had seen it.

“Not to be _that guy,_ but I called it. _I don’t know what you’re talking about_ my ass.” Yeah, Nick was _real_ pleased with himself. “I knew you were into him! No way in hell you’d put up with all his trouble if you weren’t aiming for him. And he’s transparent as hell, I knew he had a crush on his bromance buddy before I even knew it was you.”

“Yeah, Jess is a lot of things but subtle isn’t usually one of them.” Eugene was temporarily distracted by Jesse in his imagination, getting so worked up and flustered over phone calls and texts from Eugene that Nick had noticed it. “And hey,” Eugene said, tucking away thoughts of Jesse's obvious crush for later and remembering to be annoyed at Nick, “fuck you, I’ll have you know I’m a great friend and put up with _tons_ of bullshit from Jesse before I even wanted anything to do with him, much less in his pants.”

“Oh god, I didn’t think this through at all,” Nick said, as disturbed by the innuendo as Eugene had predicted.

“No, you really didn’t. So, unless you wanna know more about Jesse’s pants, nose out, kiddo.”

“Whatever, but I saw this coming months ago.”

“Congrats. You figured us out. Must feel good,” Eugene went on with a grin, “to be on the other end of that for once since the entire school could see how in love you were with Seiji before you fools figured it out.”

“Not fair! Seiji and I were pretending to be a couple, it doesn’t take super sleuth skills to decide people that are dating like each other.”

“So you’re a super sleuth now? And, for the record, I knew you two’d get it on eventually, even before your whole stunt.” He thought about it, back to the beginning of the year when the two of them were always yelling at each other, faces inches away in anger, all boundaries forgotten in a way Seiji never forgot them with anyone else. Eugene had seen that fiery passion developing into a different kind of fiery passion… “But, I have to hand it to you, I didn’t think back then that you’d actually _date._ I was expecting hate sex. And then a whole lot of drama and fucked up team dynamics and Aiden being insufferable because he’s always saying romance with teammates is bad news.”

“Ye of little faith,” Nick scoffed.

“Hey, you proved me wrong.” And he had. Eugene had fallen for the lie just like everyone else, even with Jesse whispering in his ear. Even with all the little things that hadn’t made complete sense—the whole picture of Nick and Seiji had made sense. And Eugene had quickly rewritten his assumption of the odd couple to accommodate mushy dating for as long as Eugene knew them. And that hadn’t changed. Not even when the two broke up and came clean. Not even now when they were still tipped sideways.

“What?” Nick asked, and Eugene realized he’d stopped walking.

“Nothing,” he said. Then, ignoring his own advice to _nose out,_ “But do you mind if I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Nick said, slow and unsure.

“You and Seiji—what’s with you lately?”

“Nothing,” Nick’s response was defensive enough to reveal he knew what Eugene was talking about. “We’re together,” Nick insisted, as if Eugene doubted that. “And we’re good. Nothing’s _with us.”_

“If you say,” Eugene said, placating. “But you’re not all over each other anymore.” Then he laughed because he had a distinct memory of saying something similar once before. He’d thought it suspicious then—just the tiniest bit and only because Jesse’s crazy was contagious. He didn’t think it was suspicious now. Just strange. Because they’d obviously _liked_ being all over each other once they’d gotten used to it first semester.

“I guess,” Nick muttered, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

“I gotta say, at this point, it’s a little long for an adjustment period.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know. An adjustment period. Like, you and Seiji needed to find out how to actually be dating instead of pretending to be. Adjusting to that and all. And to being together after your cold war. But I figured your adjustment would just bring you back to being gross and lovey-dovey like before.”

“We weren’t _that_ lovey-dovey,” Nick mumbled, eyes on his shoes. The guy had gumption, he wore his Converse with the uniform as often as he did loafers. Technically, it wasn’t in form with Kings Row’s dress code but Eugene hadn’t seen him ever get dinged for it.

“You guys held hands an entire day once,” Eugene said with a raised eyebrow. There wasn’t any refuting _that_ level of schmoop.

“I just don’t know how to be that way anymore. It’s like, when we’re alone, it’s all easy and being with Seiji feels natural and right like it always did before. Well, not _always_. More like how it was near the end. But when we’re around people, it’s different. It’s like, before, it was part of the act, right? So now that that’s gone, there’s not really a reason to be so—,” Nick floundered for a description, “so _all over him_ anymore. No excuse or anything to just grab him whenever I want.”

“Got so used to performative displays of affection that you don’t know how to do plain old public displays of affection, huh?” Eugene was trying hard not to laugh. Because Nick was clearly being serious, clearly opening up on this. But it was funny. “Look, you know Seiji likes you, yeah?”

“What? Yeah, of course I do. He’s my boyfriend, I know he likes me.”

“Yeah but do you _really_ know? I’m talking head-over-heels, Nickster. When you clear his tray, he always watches you with this look on his face like you’re a goddamn marvel. He only ever looks away when you turn to come back to the table so you won’t see. And he stops himself from grabbing you just as much as you stop yourself from grabbing him, okay? You both want to get back to your excessive PDA and—what? Stop yourselves because there’s not a _reason_ anymore? Dude, the reason is that you like him and he likes you and you wanna be all over each other all the time. Stop stressing.”

“I don’t want him to think that I’m trying to prove anything and I—does he really do that?” Nick interrupted himself. Eugene smirked, he’d known Nick would like those tidbits about Seiji. “Watch me and try to, like, hold my hand and stuff?”

“Big-time,” Eugene confirmed. “So either he doesn’t want you to think he’s trying to prove anything or he’s picking up what you’re putting down and thinks you’re not interested in pointless displays of affection.”

It was clearly an upsetting idea to Nick. Maybe it would get him to tip them back to right-side-up.

“You realize you’re encouraging me, right? I thought me and Seiji were gross.”

“Oh, you are,” Eugene said flatly. Then he smiled and gave Nick a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Your love is fucking disgusting but I like seeing my bros happy.”

“Thanks,” Nick laughed. “Speaking of,” he stopped laughing, looking over at Eugene like Eugene had looked at him before asking what his and Seiji’s deal was.

“What?”

“Jesse was really upset. I don’t know what happened over winter break but every time I saw him after, he was miserable. I thought maybe it was about me and Seiji but when I asked—,”

“You didn’t seriously ask him that, did you?”

“Shut up, I couldn’t think why else he’d be acting like his life was over. But that’s beside the point. The point is, he said something about how you thought that too and then his face got all screwed up and he slammed his door on me without finishing and he's not usually like that. Even when we'd get into it over Seiji, he got mad but he didn't get upset like that. Like he might cry kind of upset." Not that he'd ever let Nick see before. But Eugene knew Jesse'd gotten upset like that before. _He'd_ talked Jesse through that sort of distress on multiple occasions. It didn't sit right to know Jesse had been upset enough for Nick to see it. Months ago, Eugene had attempted to comfort Jesse because the idea of anyone crying alone wasn't one he could just ignore without trying to help. He didn't like that Jesse had been there again and Eugene hadn't been able to be there to help. "So just…" Nick said, then cleared his throat. "Jesse’s a drama queen but he also cares a lot about you which means it’d be super easy for you to hurt him.”

“Is this the part where you tell me to make sure I don’t or I’ll have you to answer to?”

“Something like that,” Nick agreed but his smile was brief. “I know you’re a good guy but Jesse’s crazy sensitive about you. All I’m saying is you’ll have to be, like, more careful with him than you’re used to.”

“You’re adorable, looking out for your big brother like that,” Eugene caught Nick for another noogie, but this one was affectionate instead of vindictive. “I know Jesse’s a delicate flower about most things. I’ll be extra gentle with him, I promise.”

“Cool.”

“Yeah, cool. Now that you’ve made sure I won’t make Jesse cry again—,” even if it was _Jesse_ that had pushed Eugene in a freezing pool and then given him the cold shoulder, but Eugene didn’t bother getting into that, “I think you’d better get back to your boyfriend.”

“And I’ll let you get back to texting yours.”

“Good. Go fix your shit.”

Eugene watched Nick scamper off and then pulled out his phone.

Trouble💛✨  
  
**Today,** 7:55 PM  
**Jesse:** I’m waiting for your laughing emojis because I know that was a joke  
  
**Eugene:** 😉  
  
**Today,** 9:12 PM  
**Eugene:** sooo   
  
**Eugene:** I accidentally told Nick about us. Sorry I ruined your revenge  
  
**Jesse:** It wasn’t revenge  
  
**Eugene:** The fact that you know what I’m talking about proves that it was  
  
  
  


Trouble💛✨  
  
**Eugene:** payback for Nick taking like 2 days to tell you about him and Seiji  
  
**Jesse:** I was going to tell him  
  
**Jesse:** How smug was he?  
  
**Jesse:** Super smug, I bet  
  
**Jesse:** the asshole  
  
**Eugene:** On a scale of 1 to 10 his smugness was a 12  
  
**Eugene:** but he also gave me a lecture about treating you right  
  
**Jesse:** he did not  
  
**Eugene:** he did too  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case any of you were wondering how obvious Jesse was about his _bromance buddy_, [internetbanality](https://internetbanality.tumblr.com//) drew a [priceless (and sweet) representation](https://internetbanality.tumblr.com/post/189988175268/pick-up-the-phone-jesse-eugene-is-calling) of a day in the life of Jesse and it is _spectacular_, you've gotta see it! 💜


	22. Chapter 22

“Anyone down to fence tomorrow?” Nick asked the table during lunch.

“Don’t you usually fence with your dad on Saturdays?” Eugene asked.

“He’s out of town for work this weekend. Seiji says he’ll practice with me tomorrow and I thought it’d be cool to get the team back together,” Nick explained, hooking his arm around Seiji’s waist with less thought than he’d taken before draping an arm around his shoulders yesterday, which had been done with less hesitance than the hand holding the day before. By next week, they’d be sickening again.

Eugene caught himself smiling a little at them and cut it out before he got accused of being a sap. But the two had gone through such a strange route to coupledom, it was entertaining to think about. Not to mention Nick’s dumb and pointless concerns about being touchy with Seiji in public now that they weren’t obligated to be conspicuously in love. It reminded Eugene of Jesse. He wondered if it was a curse of the Coste bloodline to think stupid sometimes.

“I’m in,” he told Nick. “I don’t say no to fencing. Ever.”

“I suppose I can fit it into my schedule,” Aiden seconded.

“You know I’ll be there,” Harvard said, settling the matter. Eugene had missed the team more than he’d thought he would after the season had ended. He still missed fencing with them more days in a week than not. Next year and a new season couldn’t come soon enough. But another meetup with Harvard as their mighty captain was plenty to look forward to for now.

  


* * *

  


Flooding to the locker rooms after several hours of fencing—and at least half an hour of goofing off—had them all feeling like The Team again. It was Aiden that broke that illusion.

“I’m impressed with you, Seiji,” he said, getting back to his favorite pastime of pissing Seiji the fuck off. “Giving up time with your hunky coach to help Nick prepare for Regionals. It’s downright noble of you.”

“Actually,” Seiji wasn’t as easy to bait into a fury these days and his tone was perfectly nonchalant. “Today was beneficial to me as well. Fencing other people and getting different perspectives is always good practice. I hate to shatter your opinion of me, but it was hardly noble.”

“It’s kinda funny and kinda a bummer but we can only really root for each other to a certain extent,” Nick said it with an unconcerned smile, absently readjusting an absolutely hideous neon pink sock.

“That extent being when we meet on the piste,” Seiji was equally casual about it. They must have already discussed the issue and worked through it to an extent; usually, this kind of talk led to explosions.

“Well, _I’ll _be rooting for Harvard completely and totally.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eugene said with a laugh as he took in Aiden’s determinedly flippant way of saying it and the way it made Harvard pause to give Aiden a smile he couldn’t see. They seriously needed to figure themselves out. But, until then, Eugene planned to give them shit about it. “We all know you’re completely devoted to Harvard.”

Aiden scowled at him and Harvard couldn’t hide how he’d been thrown by the teasing jab. They were even worse than Seiji and Nick had been, Eugene had been watching them go in circles around each other for years.

“You can’t really talk, Eugene,” Nick said. “You’ll be rooting for Jesse or he’ll be pissed.”

“Let him be pissed, I want you _all _to win, even Aiden!”

“You’re just making your life harder, man,” Nick warned happily. “You’re already on clean up duty for when Jesse gets knocked off his throne, why add to the workload by not telling him you wanted him to win?”

“Wait,” Aiden broke in before Eugene could tell Nick what he thought of _clean up duty. _“Wait a fucking goddamn second. You’re telling me that _your_ Jesse, the Jesse you’re dating, is the same as _Nick’s_ Jesse, Jesse _Coste?”_

“Huh? Yeah? Was that not clear?” Judging by Aiden and Harvard’s stunned faces, it had not been clear at all. “Hey, it’s not my fault you guys didn’t get it, I couldn’t have been clearer. I mean, pretty and troublesome? That’s a damn good description of him.”

“Damn, Labao. You landed _Jesse Coste?” _Aiden let out a low whistle. “How in the hell did you manage that? He’s supposed to be impossible.”

Eugene glanced over at Aiden, not really liking that sentence. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know.” Aiden shrugged. “He’s either a prude or a dick, depending on who you talk to. No one’s managed to get him on a date or in a bed and tons have tried.”

“_Tons, _huh?” Eugene repeated. “Does that include you?”

“Yeah, I gave it a go. Last year. If you’re the type he goes for, it makes sense that I couldn’t tempt him. But, hey, he’s still an impressive prize, put in a good word for me when you’re done with him,” Aiden laughed, but the sound was lost in a dull roar in Eugene’s ears. He winked, too, a clear joke, but it was all as lost to Eugene as that laugh was.

“Don’t,” he didn’t recognize the low and angry growl of his voice. It didn’t sound at all like him, stripped of all humor and levity. It wasn’t enough. Eugene was still mad enough to throw a punch so he slammed his locker door shut instead. Hard. “Talk about Jesse like that.” 

The room was silent now, no laughing. Just the echo of the slammed locker.

“I’m serious, you don’t get to even _think _about Jesse like that. He’s not like one of your boys, he’s not a conquest and it’s pretty fucked up to ask me to _put in a word_ with my boyfriend for you, joke or not. Christ,” Eugene wanted another locker to slam. Restrained himself from barreling a fist into the one he’d already slammed. “I’m not just going to be _done with him. _He’s my boyfriend, okay? Not a fling. Not a boy I don’t care about beyond a good time. So you’ll keep your manners about you when you talk about him or we’re gonna have problems.”

The room was still dead quiet and every boy in it was blinking at him as if they’d never seen him before. Eugene was still fuming mad. He’d lost his cool and he didn’t think he’d get it back if he stayed here. His temper would just get even more out of control. So he scooped up his bag and left the locker room, running an aggravated hand through his hair as he stomped to his dorm.

On some level, he’d asked for Aiden’s acerbic wit. He’d poked the bear, teasing Aiden for his devotion to Harvard. But that kind of crass assessment of Jesse made his temper flare.

Jesse had never mentioned that Aiden had hit on him. Eugene wasn’t fond of the thought.

  


* * *

  


Trouble💛✨  
  
**Today,** 3:00 PM  
**Jesse:** Hey, I got sent to pick up Nick and Seiji because Dad’s out of town. So I’m out front of Kings Row for like two seconds  
  
**Jesse:** If you wanted to come say hi  
  
**Eugene:** Don’t leave before I do  
  
  
  


Eugene could hear the freshies as soon as he stepped out of his room. They must have gotten the _here_ text right when he had.

“Coming to see your boyfriend?” Nick called. Eugene slowed down to let them catch up with him. They were holding hands, which made Eugene smirk right back at Nick.

“You know how he is,” Eugene said. “He’ll be upset if I don’t.” And then, knowing Jesse, he’d start avoiding campus again. It was better to go say hi now than suffer the consequences for skipping it later. Plus, he wanted to see Jesse. Two seconds was better than none.

“You freaked Aiden the fuck out this morning,” Nick said, completely oblivious to the way the reminder made Eugene’s mood dip. Strangely, Seiji’s mood seemed to brighten in equal measure. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get so mad. And I know I’ve never seen Aiden so gobsmacked.”

“He deserved it,” Eugene replied darkly. “What’s got you in such a good mood?” He asked Seiji, on Nick’s other side. Seiji didn’t answer, but Nick laughed.

“Petty revenge,” he said.

“Oh?”

“Shut up, Nicholas,” Seiji’s good humor melted into a scowl.

“Revenge on Aiden?” Eugene guessed. He could see why Aiden getting his comeuppance would please Seiji.

“_And_ on Jesse—_ow!_”

Seiji had yanked hard on Nick’s arm and he finally shut up. Eugene didn’t press it. He wasn’t sure what revenge Seiji could have possibly gotten on Jesse from this morning but he assumed it had something to do with their falling-out, a subject on which Jesse was always tight-lipped as well.

Jesse’s car was as flashy and noticeable as ever, parked up by the curb out front. Eugene circled around the car to knock on Jesse’s window. It rolled down obediently, revealing Jesse in a pair of white-framed sunglasses. Eugene plucked them off his nose first thing.

“Hey!” Jesse protested, leaning out the window to reach for them. “Give those back!”

“Nah,” Eugene shoved the folded glasses into his back pocket but caught Jesse before he could fall back into his seat, then, feeling properly possessive, leaned down to kiss his ridiculously pompous boyfriend in his ridiculously flashy car.

“Get a room,” Nick said, followed by some exaggerated gagging noises. Eugene didn’t even bother defending himself against that one but he did release Jesse, who looked at him with shock. That seemed to be the mood today—shock, all directed at Eugene.

“Miss me?” Jesse asked, pulling himself back together enough to look all puffed up and satisfied with the greeting.

“Lots,” Eugene confirmed, leaning down on the window sill to tweak Jesse’s ear. He was pleased, for sure. And a little pink. Eugene wanted to kiss him again but the guys were already in the backseat, ready to go to the Coste house. “Say hey to your mom for me.” He started to retreat so they could get on the road.

“You could come and say hey yourself,” Nick piped up. “You can even have the front seat.”

“So you can telepathically make out with Seiji in the back the whole drive?” Eugene asked, earning a laugh from Jesse. He always complained when he had to drive the two of them anywhere.

“No,” Seiji said, bored, “we’ve got more class than that.” The implication that Eugene was lacking in class was evident. And irrefutable given the fact that Eugene had kissed Jesse sans telepathy just a minute ago.

“Speak for yourself,” Eugene said, eying the way Nick was looking at Seiji. “I’m pretty sure your boy there is _always _telepathically making out with you.”

“I’m this close,” Nick held up fingers pinched close together, “to uninviting you to dinner.”

“That’d be a shame,” Seiji agreed. “I don’t think you’ll want to miss it.”

“Why? What’s for dinner?”

“I don’t know about that, but we’re staying the night.”

It was easy to forget Seiji had a sense of humor because it wasn’t always an easy task to get him talking long enough for it to come out, but that made it all the funnier when it showed up. The kid had such a deadpan way of saying everything, it was a crack up. Funny as it was, Eugene didn’t consider it a serious invitation until his attention shifted back to the front seat and he saw Jesse’s hopeful expression.

“Can you come?” Jesse asked.

Eugene was damn lucky he didn’t have any homework this weekend because it all would have been ignored.

“Yeah, I could do that.”


	23. Chapter 23

“If you take forever, I’m uninviting you,” Nick said, unbuckling his seatbelt and sinking down in his seat.

“I’m a fast packer,” Eugene assured him. And it was true. He could pack an overnight bag in under three minutes.

“I’ll come with,” Jesse said, starting to open his door before Eugene was entirely out of the way. Nick groaned.

“Seriously, don’t get sidetracked. It’s illegal to leave people in cars for long periods of time.”

“Sorry,” Jesse said, “I didn’t realize you were a three-year-old.”

“No, it makes sense why we can’t leave him in there too long,” Eugene shot a grin at Nick, “it’s illegal to leave dogs in cars too.”

“That’s called bullying and it’s against school rules,” Nick said with exaggerated disapproval. “Probably.”

“It is,” Seiji offered. “It’s in the student handbook. There’s a strict zero-tolerance policy about bullying. And violence.”

“Lucky for you both that the tolerance level is a little higher than zero then, isn’t it?” Eugene got in the last word before Jesse was out of the car. He departed with a peace sign before taking Jesse toward Castello.

“What does that mean?” Jesse asked, curious and searching for gossip on Nick and Seiji. Some things never changed.

“I’ve only told you this a hundred and fifty times but those two have been all over each other from the start and not always in a sexy way. Pretty sure they got into a couple brawls.”

“Really?” Jesse asked, frowning in a way that meant he couldn’t quite come up with that image in his mind. Eugene laughed.

“You didn’t see how they were when they weren’t pretending to like each other—,”

“They weren’t always good at pretending,” Jesse muttered.

“No, but you never saw them reallygo at it. Trust me, they _definitely_ had at least one fistfight.”

“They’ve come an even longer way than I thought.”

“No kidding.” Eugene found Jesse’s hand, then flashed him a winning smile as they reached the building Eugene had been taking them to. “Ready for the special tour of Kings Row?”

“I haven’t ever been to the dorms here. Dad tried to make me tour Kings Row but I knew I didn’t want to go to a second-rate school, even if Dad loved it here. No offense.”

“You’re a first-rate snob, Jess. No offense.”

“I am _not_, I just know what things will further me and improve my image. I don’t need people to associate me with riffraff.”

“That’s the definition of a snob, dumbass. And, not to burst your bubble, but you’re associating with riffraff from a second-rate school anyway,” Eugene swung up their hands to illustrate his point. He watched with amusement as Jesse froze in horror and his eyes snapped onto Eugene’s.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Jesse said quickly.

“Word of advice, think about how your words affect other people before saying them. Maybe your first-rate kindergarten didn’t teach you that but it’s a good tip.”

Jesse nodded, chastised. Eugene felt Jesse’s hand try to slip out of his, the way Jesse always liked to withdraw to lick his wounds after being told off. Eugene tightened his grip, not letting Jesse pull away just because he hadn’t gotten away with being an asshole.

“Speak of the devil!” The cheery exclamation had them both spinning around to face the source. Aiden. “We were just saying this morning that Eugene should bring his Jesse around sometime.”

“Were we?” Eugene asked. Some of Aiden’s cheery confidence sloughed off him and Eugene could see his teammate’s nervousness. It wasn’t a familiar mood to read in Aiden Kane but, then, a grudge wasn’t a thing Eugene Labao commonly held. He was no good at it, found it exhausting to stay mad at people he liked. And Eugene’s disposition had brightened up quite a bit now that he had Jesse’s hand in his. A hand, he now realized, that was holding tightly back instead of trying to slip away. “We don’t have time today for any socialization, we’ve got the kids waiting in the car,” Eugene said. “But next time.”

Recognizing the olive branch, Aiden’s usual demeanor returned at once. “You should come fence with us, we could make a day of it,” he said to Jesse, smile hilariously polite so there was no way Eugene could mistake it as flirtatious.

“Yes,” Jesse replied, shuffling closer to Eugene. He’d already managed to get right up against him without Eugene noticing so there wasn’t much room left for him to shuffle closer but he did. “That sounds good.”

“Brilliant! Have fun and give the kids my love,” Aiden sang, then disappeared down the hall with a little wiggle of fingers.

“So,” Eugene said once Aiden was long gone. “What the hell did Aiden say to you last year that’s got you acting so shy?”

“Oh god, you know about that?”

“Not really, just that he hit on you. And that, apparently, whatever he said has stuck with you.”

Jesse flushed crimson. “It wasn’t a big deal, I wasn’t interested.”

“I know. Still pining after Seiji, am I right?”

Jesse wasn’t any happier about this direction of conversation and he glared at Eugene for bringing it up. Eugene knew Jesse would prefer it if they never spoke about his Seiji fixation again. Pretended it hadn’t happened. But it was the reason they’d got to talking at all so Eugene didn’t feel bad teasing Jesse about it.

“I assume you wouldn’t know first-hand, but Aiden’s advances are…incredibly forward. Explicit, even.”

Eugene laughed, looping Jesse’s arm over his shoulders so he could grab him around the waist and give him a squeeze.

“Don’t worry,” he told Jesse as they started walking again. “I won’t let the big bad wolf eat you.”

“I know.”

Eugene wondered at the chances of Jordie being out when they got to his room. Jesse was being too cute for his own good and there were other wolves that might like a bite of him. If they could just steal a minute or two alone…

“Woah,” Eugene said as Jesse’s hand left his shoulder and made its way down his back. “Who’s being forward now?”

“I was just retrieving my sunglasses and you know it,” Jesse said, irritation mingling with embarrassment in an endearing way. Truthfully, Eugene did ‘_know_ _it_.’ And he also knew that Jesse had only snagged the sunglasses back to prove that he could. Sure enough, a moment later Jesse sighed dramatically.

“Just hook them in your shirt,” Eugene preempted Jesse’s complaints about not wanting to hold his glasses.

“No, that’s so tacky,” Jesse moaned. “I wish you hadn’t taken them. I could have just left them in the car.”

“Give ‘em here,” Eugene held out his hand and Jesse gratefully placed the sunglasses in it. Eugene grinned and shoved them in the back pocket of Jesse’s expensive jeans, using the opportunity to do what he’d jokingly accused Jesse of doing and copping a feel. Jesse jumped about a mile and retrieved Eugene’s hand.

“That’s not what I wanted when I gave you my glasses.”

“No, you wanted me to carry them for you.”

“What if I sit on them?”

“Then we’ll all laugh at you for it. But here,” Eugene said right when they got to his door. He plucked the stupid white sunglasses from Jesse’s ass pocket—keeping his hand to himself this time—and hooked them in the collar of his own shirt. “Happy?”

“Yes.”

Eugene rolled his eyes and opened his door. He was disappointed but not surprised to find Jordie there. And Jordie was disappointed but not surprised to see a boy on Eugene’s arm.

“Another one?” Jordie asked tiredly. “Really?”

Jesse’s posture went rigid and his face sour. Here Jesse went again, making stupid assumptions that Eugene had to clear up. Would have to spend ages continuing to carefully reassure and smooth away. Stupid fucking Jordie. It had been _months_ since Eugene had brought someone back here but Jesse’s mind would jump to worst-case scenario.

“Let me guess,” Jordie sneered, “you’re Jesse.”

“I—yes,” Jesse said, startled.

“Fuck off, Jordie.”

“I will not. This is my room too and I won’t leave just because you finally seduced your target. I’m going to take a shower and if he’s not gone when I get out, I’ll file a complaint about a non-student being here.”

“Actually,” Jesse snapped, “_he_ can do what he wants. I might not be a student here but trust me when I say I have connections in this school and I _will_ use them. File all the complaints you want, it won’t get rid of me. So I suggest you just get used to that now.”

Jordie gawked at Jesse, who was standing tall and glaring contemptuously.

“Didn’t think you liked the feisty type,” Jordie said after a pause. “Good luck with this one, Eugene.” And he went to go take his shower.

“Well I’ll be damned. I think he likes you,” Eugene said. What Jordie liked was the idea of Eugene having to deal with Jesse’s attitude. Then he remembered that he’d need his toothbrush and had to go convince Jordie to pass it to him through the door. He shoved it, along with pajamas, into a bag and was grabbing a change of clothes when Jesse spoke.

“Do you...talk about me?” he asked in a whisper. Eugene turned and found that all of Jesse’s previous fire had gone out of him and he was watching Eugene carefully.

“To Jordie?” Eugene snorted. “No. I don’t talk to Jordie about anything.”

“Oh. But then how did he know my name?”

“I do talk_ to_ you a lot and Jordie, unfortunately, shares this space with me. He’s heard your name plenty.”

Jesse smiled prettily and Eugene had to give him a kiss before returning to packing.

“Do you think I’ll get banned now?” Jesse asked, looking around the room.

“You already are.”

Jesse laughed. “Right. He did just tell me to get out, didn’t he?”

“Yeah but Jordie banned you ages ago because you were always calling me. He got the wrong idea.”

“I think you mean the _right_ idea,” Jesse corrected but his scowl wasn’t fooling Eugene. He gave a noncommittal grunt in response.

It was Jordie’s lucky day because Eugene and Jesse actually did end up leaving before he finished in the shower. Jesse practically preened the whole way back to the car. Eugene had been forced to admit that Marcel had never actually been banned and it had just been a miscommunication, which had overjoyed Jesse. What didn’t overjoy Jesse, however, was finding Nick leaned up on the hood of his car.

“Get the fuck off of there!” He screeched, jogging ahead of Eugene to shove Nick and examine the spot he’d been up against. “My poor baby, what if you’d dented her?”

“Serves you right for taking forever,” Nick said, completely unfazed by Jesse’s anger.

“Fifteen minutes is hardly forever,” Eugene retorted.

“It is if your attention span is as short as Nicholas’s.”

Eugene held up a hand for a high-five and whooped in victory when Seiji actually obliged instead of leaving him hanging.

“Leaving you unsupervised _in_ my car was bad enough,” Jesse wasn’t done yet, it seemed. “But what possessed you to get out of it and _sit_ on my hood?”

“After I vandalized the inside of your car, I decided I wanted some fresh air from all the spraypaint fumes from the dicks I drew on the seats.”

“Real mature, Nick,” Jesse spat.

“Oh my god, I was _joking,”_ Nick said when Jesse actually peered suspiciously into his car. “Can we get going now?”

“Fine, get in,” Jesse conceded, “I can’t believe I got sent to drive you assholes home and you repay me by sitting on my car."

“You’re fine, stop being so dramatic,” Nick said, unable to leave well-enough alone. Eugene couldn’t judge him for that, he’d also been tempted to tell Jesse to cut it with the theatrics.

“I hate driving when it’s so snowy and sunny. It’s impossible to see,” Jesse complained.

“Give me the keys and I’ll drive,” Eugene offered, holding out his hand sarcastically. They all knew Jesse would sooner kill them all in a crash caused by sunlight reflecting off bright white snow than let anyone else drive his car. So it was quite a surprise when Jesse actually fished out his keys and plopped them in Eugene’s waiting palm as easily as he’d handed over his sunglasses.

They all stared at Jesse.

“For real?” Eugene asked, astonished. “You’ll let me drive your car? Your _precious baby?”_

“You never let anyone touch your car,” Nick said in amazement.

“I know you’re a good driver,” Jesse told Eugene. “And that you won’t hurt my car.”

“I’m not allowed to drive your car and you know I’m a better driver than you,” Seiji pointed out. It was said without any sulk, not a lament, just an observation.

“Having people think I’ve got a boyfriend with the nicest car isn’t that much different from them knowing I’ve got the best car. So Gene’s the only one that can drive her other than me.”

“Do you ever listen to yourself talk sometimes and think about what a massively materialistic and shallow person you are?” Nick asked. “You’re such a rich fuck.”

“Hey,” Eugene said, loud and stern, startling everyone. “Show some respect to your brother.” They all looked at him now with confusion. Jesse recovered first, shock melting into smug pleasure. “It’s true that Jesse’s a materialistic and shallow rich fuck but you’re a rich fuck now too, Nickster.”

Jesse batted Eugene on the arm in retribution for his betrayal. But he climbed into the passenger seat when Nick and Seiji were loaded into the back—again—so Eugene knew he wasn’t really in any trouble because he still had full permission to drive Jesse’s beloved car.


	24. Chapter 24

Eugene shouldn’t have been surprised when Nick put on _Star Trek._ From what Jesse had said, _Star Trek_ was a staple of family weekends.

“At least it’s the good one this time,” Jesse said, sitting much closer to Eugene than the huge couch called for.He’d strategically left _some_ space between them, in case Eugene wanted it. He didn’t, and eliminated the space neatly and efficiently.

“They’re _all_ the good ones,” Nick said, chucking a piece of microwave popcorn at Jesse.

“You’ve got low standards.”

“Talk shit and I’ll put on _The Final Frontier _instead.”

“You can’t! I’ve waited months to watch this stupid movie, you’re not making me watch more old people.”

Nick made an exaggeratedly offended face at Jesse, complete with a gasp concealed behind a dramatically horrified hand, and then started changing the movie. Seiji took the remote from him and clicked it back over to _Beyond._

“Traitor,” Nick griped.

“Sit down and get over it,” Seiji told him. “I want actual special effects today.”

“You don’t like bad special effects?” Eugene asked. “But they’re the best! Actually, there’s no losing with effects. Either they look cool as hell or are funny as hell.”

“Exactly,” Nick said, pointing at Eugene like he’d just made a brilliant point. Which, to be fair, he had.

“I simply don’t see the appeal of a dog in a monster costume being called an alien,” Seiji said.

“Then you’re blind and also missing out.” Nick finally settled down on the couch next to Seiji, all snacks gathered and situated.

“Wait, that’s a thing?” Eugene got shushed by Jesse for asking. He squeezed Jesse’s shoulder. “I want to watch whatever episode _that’s_ in because it sounds fucking hilarious.”

“It is,” Nick said.

“The movie’s starting,” Seiji told them and they dropped it, sitting back to watch the screen. For all his concern about the movie, Seiji didn’t really look like he was paying that much attention to it. Jesse caught Eugene looking to the other end of the couch and stage whispered in his ear, despite _his_ earlier hushing of Eugene.

“See?” He asked. “Do you see what I have to live with? They’re like that _all the time_._”_

Eugene had seen Seiji and Nick at the peak of their ooey-gooey fake relationship and he had to live with it on a more day-to-day basis than Jesse did. But he could see Jesse’s point. Seiji was draped over Nick, both of them fit onto the chaise lounge section of the couch, legs all tangled together, and Seiji’s head settled on Nick’s chest in a posture more suited to sleeping than watching a movie. Eugene had seen a lot of mush from them but he’d never seen them in such a relaxed environment. At least they seemed to be finding their way back to their normal.

“Like you’re any better,” Nick accused with a pointed look over to the corner of the couch Eugene and Jesse occupied.

“Touché,” Eugene laughed. The Nickster was right, he was in no position to criticize. Jesse was curled into him the way he preferred to be, like some sort of hedgehog. Eugene always found it impressive how compact Jesse could be when his long limbs were pulled in close. And Jesse wasn’t the only one at fault for Nick’s come-back. When he’d grabbed Jesse around the shoulders earlier to erase the sliver of space Jesse had given him, he’d never let go again, taking instead to rubbing up and down Jesse’s arm slowly.

Eugene wasn’t a Trekkie but he liked having the TV on for background noise so he’d seen bits and bobs of_ Trek_ all over the place and knew enough to get with the program despite this being the third movie in a series. He liked it and could see why Jesse would prefer the reboot to the original stuff. Seiji fell asleep, which surprised Eugene, but Jesse said he always did that.

“Do they just spend all their time here napping on each other?” Eugene asked during a cool motorcycle scene he’d wanted to use to illustrate his point about SFX but, when he’d looked over, had found both Nick and Seiji passed out.

“Hmm? No, Nick doesn’t usually. I think he’s probably tired from Dad’s training. It’s more rigorous than he’s used to.”

“No kidding, I hear your dad and Williams teamed up.”

“Yeah, Dad’s impressive but he can only be so many places at once.”

It was obvious how much Jesse idolized his dad, the way he said it. That was one of the things Eugene wouldn’t have expected from Jesse Coste. Just looking at Jesse, just knowing him at a superficial level, you’d expect him to be the kind of kid that cared more about what his parents gave him than anything else. Eugene had expected boasting from Jesse and the use of his father’s name for getting him what he wanted. Jesse was by no means above flaunting his Dad’s name for bragging rights and special treatment. But he also adored Robert Coste like his own personal superhero. Eugene thought it was sweet that he actually liked his parents. He had a lot of friends at Kings Row that were always complaining about theirs—some with better reason than others—but Jesse wasn’t like that. It made Eugene want to make a good impression on Robert when he formally met him. Technically, they’d met before because of Nick, but being a teammate of a son was less notable than a boyfriend of a son.

“Gene,” Jesse whined, shifting and catching Eugene’s hand, which had fallen from his shoulders during the movie and made its way down his side. “I’m getting sore there.”

Eugene noticed that he’d still been rubbing circles with a thumb that’d fallen under Jesse’s shirt. He stilled it.

“You really—,”

“Don’t say it,” Jesse warned him. “It’s your hands, they’re callused. Anyone would get sore after so long.”

“If you say so,” Eugene said dubiously. He thought it was probably just Jesse’s skin being over-sensitive but he let it go. Now he knew he’d have to be careful about prolonged friction against one spot. It shouldn’t be a problem, but he did plan on teasing Jesse somewhere down the line for complaining about his callused hands hurting. “Sorry about that,” he offered with a kiss to the temple because Jesse didn’t seem satisfied even though Eugene was leaving his sore spot alone. Jesse wasn’t placated.

“Why’d you stop?”

“What do you mean? You just told me to stop.”

“I told you that I was sore specifically where you’ve been rubbing for twelve hours.”

Eugene stared at Jesse in disbelief. “So…you want me to keep rubbing but to switch up locations every now and again so one spot never gets too sore?”

“Yes,” Jesse said, sliding Eugene’s hand a little ways farther up his shirt.

“Wow, you’re spoiled rotten, aren’t you?” Eugene asked.

“As one of the people that spoils me rotten,” Jesse said prissily, “you don’t get to talk.”

Again, Eugene had to laugh. “Touché.” Because he’d already started rubbing gently up and down Jesse’s side.

  


* * *

  


Sam had impeccable timing, clattering into the house right as the credits started rolling.

“Mom, another one?” Jesse asked, twisting around on the couch to watch his mother juggling three potted plants that weren’t small enough to be carried three at a time.

“No, I’ve got two more in the car,” Sam grunted. “So another _five_, really. Now come help me before I drop one of them.”

“It doesn’t matter, you’ve already sentenced them to death,” Jesse said. Eugene poked him hard in the side before standing up.

“Let me,” he offered Sam, who gratefully unloaded one of the plants into Eugene’s arms. He took one of the others, too, although she hadn’t offered it to him.

“Eugene, dear, I know it’s a little early, but my friend Hannah is the best wedding planner there is and she’d give me the family discount.”

“Mom!” Jesse shouted, bright red and leaning over the back of the couch, like he was considering vaulting over it to push Sam back out of the house and lock her there. Eugene laughed uproariously.

“Fall wedding, do you think?” Eugene asked, putting the pots down where Sam directed.

“Eugene!”

“Jess, go get the other plants out of the car, we’re talking grown-up business,” Eugene told him calmly, which just made him boil even brighter.

“New plants?” Nick asked groggily, popping up from behind the couch as well and blinking at them.

“The last ones didn’t make it,” Sam said forlornly as she fluffed the leaves of the ones they’d just placed.

“Because you can’t keep anything alive,” Jesse mumbled.

“I kept _you_ alive,” Sam pointed out airily. “Never mind about the first two, they were just warm-ups.”

“Are there more in the car?” Nick asked, standing with a yawn. “Plants. Not dead siblings.”

“Yes, two.”

“Got it.”

“Thank you, Nick!” Sam called. “And I don’t even need to plan any weddings to keep that one,” she smiled, turning on Jesse. “We’re lucky we got such a helpful young man like Nicholas, don’t you think?”

Jesse glared before huffing and bounding off the couch to go prove he was a helpful young man, too.

“How does lasagna sound for dinner?” Sam asked, politely ignoring the bickering coming from the garage. It was a mystery what Jesse and Nick could have found to disagree on so quickly but they’d managed it.

“Do your actual sons not get a say?” Seiji was awake and inspecting Sam’s new plants.

“Nick eats everything and Jesse can be persuaded into eating lasagna. So, no, they don’t.”

“I like lasagna,” Seiji said.

“I wouldn’t want to miss it,” Eugene agreed.

“Told you,” Seiji told Eugene before abandoning the plants. “I’ll go make sure they’re not breaking anything.”

Eugene glanced in the direction Seiji had gone, toward the commotion. This place was even bigger than Marcel’s but it didn’t feel all that different from Eugene’s house. Bickering siblings, busy kitchen, comfortable inhabitants. He wondered why he’d never been before, why, according to Marcel, Jesse didn’t have friends over often. He wondered if Seiji’s familiarity here was just from this year or if it went back longer. It wasn’t jealousy that made him wonder—the time for being jealous over Seiji had passed and if he was going to start that now it would mean he doubted Jesse’s feelings. Eugene didn’t. But he’d never gotten the full story, the whole picture, of Jesse’s relationship with Seiji and he couldn’t put it together. That itched at him; he was pretty good at putting things together.

“Eugene,” Sam called, hands busy dicing onions. “Could you—I forgot to put the pot on that burner, could you turn it off for me real quick?”

“Sure thing,” Eugene did as he’d been asked, then found the pot she’d forgotten to move and popped it onto the stove, turning it back on.

“Do these go with the others?” Jesse asked, returning from the garage with the others close behind. Sam nodded and the remaining plants were put in place to, as Jesse muttered to Eugene, “look pretty until they die.”

“I thought that was _your_ plan,” Eugene said, “something you and the plants can bond over.”

Jesse didn’t think he was funny and dragged him back over to the couch with an unimpressed look. But when he went to find his phone in the kitchen not long after, Eugene ended up staying there. It was habit to help with cooking and, unlike Junior, he never counted it as a chore. Sam happily put him to work, even at Jesse’s protests. Eventually, Jesse wandered over to sit a the tall counter, not offering to help and giving Eugene a look that said _you’re supposed to be spending time with_ me_, not my mom. _

  


* * *

  


“Dinner smells great!” Nick said, coming to sniff around the kitchen after disappearing with Seiji to a different part of the house—his room, probably—hours ago. Like they didn’t already live together.

“It’ll be done in two minutes, let Seiji know.”

“I’ll go get him.” And he scampered off again.

“Dining room, Mom?” Jesse asked, sliding off his barstool. Sam confirmed that they’d be eating in the dining room and Jesse collected five plates. Eugene took them. Jesse secured silverware and led the way. “I don’t see why you had to stand around while dinner was cooking,” he said as they set the table.

“I didn’t stand around,” Eugene pointed out, “I came and sat with you, didn’t I?”

“Same thing, you know what I mean.”

“You wanted to sneak off to your room, I know. Take a cue from Nick and Seiji. But it’s not my style to disappear while other people do stuff for me.”

“Mom _likes_ cooking, you didn’t have to help.”

Eugene was long done with putting out the plates but Jesse was meticulously arranging each piece of silverware.

_“I_ like helping.”

“I know.” Jesse was straightening a knife he’d just placed, moving it perfectly into position.

“You’re not seriously mad at me because I wanted to help your mom cook dinner, are you?”

“I’m…” Jesse deflated. “No, I guess I can’t be mad at you for that.”

“I don’t always have to be kissing you to appreciate you, you know.”

“I know. I said it’s fine.”

Eugene laughed. “I don’t need to see the period on that to know you’re not over it.”

“The what?”

“The period. You only punctuate when you’re pissed and you want me to know it.”

“I do not.”

“Dude. Yeah, you do. I’ve been texting you long enough to know all your tells.”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“No, I said I can hear your passive-aggressive period. What’re you still upset about?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve been adjusting that spoon for ages.”

“It’s just—Nick and Seiji literally spend every night together and they still run off to be alone every chance they get.” _Why don’t you like me enough to run off alone every chance we get when we _don’t_ spend every night together_ was the obvious subtext to that. Jesse and his false comparisons.

“Yeah, well. I like your mom. And I’d like her to like me, too.” Jesse looked up from his spoon—why he’d gotten out spoons for lasagna, Eugene didn’t know. “That’s important to me. Do you understand why it’s important to me?”

“Because she’s my mom?” Jesse guessed.

“No duh.”

Jesse smiled back down at his spoon, deeming it satisfactory and moving on to the last plate. For someone so thin-skinned, Jesse could be incredibly thick-headed. But he understood now because Jesse had done his best to make sure Eugene’s mom—Eugene’s entire family—liked _him._ So he knew all the selfish reasons attached to the impulse to impress the family of the person you liked. He’d gotten too busy looking off at other people’s affection again to see what Eugene considered a pretty clear show of it right in front of him.

When they all sat down to eat, the very first thing Nick said was, “Jesse, why the hell do we need spoons?”

“Because it’s stupid to dine without the full set of utensils out, Nicholas,” Jesse shot back with such immediacy, Eugene was sure they had some variation on this conversation every week.

“Thank you for dinner, Sam,” Seiji said, completely ignoring the other two. “And Eugene. I didn’t know you could cook.”

“Everyone’s surprised when they find out,” Eugene said, shaking his head at the ignorance. “Ma’s had me in the kitchen since I was five.”

“She has not,” Jesse said, arranging salad on his plate, picking around the carrots and nabbing extra cherry tomatoes from the bowl. “Marcus says he only recently got knife privileges.”

“Couple of things—Marcus is second to baby so he gets coddled more than I did. Also, I didn’t say I’ve been chopping and mincing since I was five. There’s lots you can do without knives in a kitchen. And when did Marcus tell you that? And why?”

“When my zombie almost killed him in that game with the house. He threatened to stab me and informed me that he has free range of the knife block these days. You missed it. Bathroom, I think.”

“If Mom heard him threatening knife wounds again, she’d take away his privileges.”

“Then you’d better not tell her.”

“Hang on,” Nick broke in, staring at Jesse, then looking to Eugene. “You mean to tell me that Jesse _behaved _during a game night? Usually, _he’s _the one threatening stab wounds.”

“It is impressive,” Sam agreed. “He flipped the _Scrabble _board during _our _last family game night.”

“Really?” Eugene asked, eyes panning over to Jesse. His puckered face meant it was entirely true. Not that Eugene had really doubted it, Jesse was competitive, hot-headed, and terrible at not getting his way. “But he was perfectly polite for mine.”

_“Scrabble _is a terrible game,” Jesse defended.

“You’re a terrible sport during _any_ board game,” Nick said, pointing a fork at him, “don’t lie. Any board game not played with _Eugene_, anyway.”

“If you don’t put that fork down, I’ll give _you_ a knife wound.”

“You know, Eugene,” Nick said, stabbing his fork into his food with a shit-eating grin, “you really chose the perfect name for his contact.”

Jesse’s attention snapped to Eugene, eyes narrowed with accusation. If Sam hadn’t been sitting at the head of the table watching this all go down, Eugene would have made a very rude gesture at Nick for setting Jesse on him like that.

“What is it?” Jesse asked, knowing Nick well enough to know he should be pissed about it. Nick wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise.

“Trouble,” Nick announced gleefully. “That’s what you are.”

Seiji smirked. Sam chuckled before catching herself. Nick grinned. Jesse glowered.

“Change it,” he demanded.

“Nah.”

“_Change it.”_

“Come on, it’s funny.”

“It is not.”

“I’m not changing it.”

“Is that always what it’s been?” Jesse asked but didn’t wait for an answer since it obviously was. “It’s been _months_ and you never changed it? You’ve just been—been texting _trouble _this whole time?”

“Pretty much exactly.”

“Eugene, I’m serious, change it.”

“Fine, if you’re really set on it.”

“I am,” Jesse said firmly, already sinking into his victory. Eugene pulled out his phone with a shrug.

“Then I’ll change it.”

He felt Jesse’s eyes on his phone as he opened up the contact page under _Trouble_💛✨. Obligingly, he went in to edit the name. And deleted the emojis, one after the other, then hit save.

“Wait,” Jesse said, “why’d you delete those?”

“I told you I’d change your contact name. And I did, see?”

“Put those back,” Jesse insisted, jabbing at Eugene’s phone. He pulled it away from Jesse’s reach.

“Emojis are a privilege,” Eugene said, grin every bit as shit-eating as Nick’s had been, “not a right. Behave or I take them off.”

“Eugene,” Jesse was close to shouting, “put those back, _now.”_

Eugene could tell that Jesse was nearing his critical point of teasing for the night. He couldn’t be pushed much more without causing an explosion of some kind. And Eugene didn’t feel like cleaning up after one of those. Or pushing Jesse all the way to exploding in the first place. So he put his phone where Jesse could see it and added back in the yellow heart and sparkle emojis. Jesse didn’t make another complaint about the name itself, having learned his lesson and given up on that battle for now. When he returned his phone to his pocket, Eugene found Jesse’s leg and gave it a squeeze.

They ate in peace for a couple minutes before Jesse smiled all fake, the way he liked to when he wanted you to know he was pissed and putting on a show.

“Seiji,” he said brightly. Seiji looked up suspiciously. “How’s Mari?”

“She’s doing well,” Seiji answered. Like Eugene, Seiji was clearly trying to figure out how his mom fit into Jesse’s revenge. Nick knew, judging by his sharp glare at Jesse.

“That’s good. Mom and I ran into her last week while shopping. She showed us the cutest picture. You’ll never guess what of.”

Seiji darted a glance at Nick. He might not have known what the picture had been, but his frown suggested he had some ideas.

“Well, I take it that triple fudge sundaes are still your favorite?” Jesse finished with bland politeness.

“You’re sending pictures to my mother again?” Seiji asked Nick coolly. And Eugene had to laugh a little. Jesse had gone and set a pissed Seiji on Nick in retribution.

“Just a couple,” Nick said, hands up in surrender, “I thought she’d like that one!”

Sam had stayed silent through all their squabbling, a slight smile never leaving her face, but she turned to Eugene as Nick and Seiji debated the definition of _just a couple. _

“Will you be staying the night this time, Eugene?” She asked him.

“That was the plan, if you’re okay with it.”

“Of course,” Sam said with a nod. “I’m sure Jesse can find you a bed to sleep in.”

“Just make sure it’s not yours, Jesse,” Nick chirped, leaving his argument with Seiji to join this conversation instead. “Because _that _would be entirely improper. It’s not prudent for couples to share a room, I hope you remember.”

“Oh, shut up,” Jesse snapped irritably. Eugene was a little lost but assumed there must have been more to Nick’s joke because Seiji was laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. we're officially half the length of Truths. oops. At this point all I can really promise is that it won't actually get as long as Truths is lmao


	25. Chapter 25

Eugene had gotten himself his own bed. Not because he wouldn’t much prefer staying in Jesse’s room but because he figured it was only polite to stay out of your boyfriend’s bed after dinner with his mom and when staying at her house. So. He’d campaigned for his own room and had won. Jesse had slammed the door on his way out, making it known that he was feeling as though he’d been neglected all day. Eugene didn’t see his problem. Getting a whole day—and then some—with Jesse so soon was better than he could have hoped for. With any luck, Jesse was just cranky because it was past his bedtime and sleep would reset him, putting him in a better mood for the handful of hours they could eke out before heading back to school tomorrow.

The door crept open. Eugene had already turned off all but a dim lamp as he’d readied for sleep so he had to squint to discern the figure in the doorway, though there was only one person it could possibly be.

“Decided you wanted a goodnight kiss, after all?” Eugene asked as Jesse slipped into the room and gently closed the door behind him. It wasn’t surprising that he’d come back after storming off without anything to show for it.

“You got it your way,” Jesse said, still stationed with his back against the door. “You’re not staying in my room.”

“That’s right,” Eugene agreed.

“And neither am I.”

“Jess—,”

“Don’t be a gentleman. Do you think Nick and Seiji aren’t cozied up in Nick’s room right now? Do you think Mom even cares? It’s not fair that you don’t want me to stay with you when all your reasons are stupid. You can argue that you did everything you could to keep me out—which you did, short of locking the door—”

“Which you would have picked even if I had.”

“That’s right. I would have. But you won’t have to make excuses at all because Mom’s a free spirit and doesn’t believe in restricting sexuality. I’ve already gotten three sex talks from her and I didn’t suffer through them to stay in my room to keep up appearances she doesn’t care about and probably won’t believe.”

“Why did you need _three_, Christ, that’s overboard, don’t you think?”

“Some assumptions were made for the first go through. The latest rendition included healthy relationships and way more graphic imagery than I ever wanted. Can I stay, Gene? Please?”

Eugene should have expected this from Jesse. And there was no way he could possibly say no.

“Alright, come here,” Eugene said, giving in. Jesse beamed at him, peeling off the door. But, instead of immediately taking his prize and coming to bed, he stopped by the AC controls.

The cold was almost instantaneous. It must have cost a fortune and Jesse, of course, had turned it up without a second thought. Then he strode over to the bed and climbed on. Now that Jesse was closer to the light, Eugene got a better look at him. Comfortable pajama pants spotted in little pictures of tea and cocoa and coffee hung off his hips and cuffed at his ankles. Gray shirt, simple and plain, clung to his chest. No silk tonight, then. Possibly, it was to avoid any teasing. 

“Ever heard of flannel?” Eugene asked as Jesse crawled nearer. He could have just walked around the bed but that would have been too easy for him. He liked to make things into an ordeal. “Or regular cotton? Or something else that’s actually sturdy?”

“What?” Jesse asked, clearly unsure what Eugene had found to tease him about now.

“Jess, it’s practically obscene, wearing such thin and clingy pajamas when you keep it colder than Elsa’s tits during the night.”

“It’s scientifically proven that cooler temperatures are better for deep sleep.”

“I don’t care about that but, man, I can see your nipples and I’m starting to wonder if it’s on purpose that you don’t wear real clothes to bed when I’m around.”

“Eu_gene!”_ The way Jesse said it, it might also have been _You—Gene!_ It was hard to tell, but it didn’t matter. The point was the same; Jesse was absolutely scandalized and, hilariously, he’d crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t say stuff like that,” he said, unable to decide if he ought to be covering up or not.

“Don’t worry, I’m on my best behavior tonight,” Eugene assured him.

Jesse frowned. Just slightly. And then, with neither grace nor tact, he landed himself right on top of Eugene, straddling his lap and falling heavy on it, like he’d intended for his weight to hit Eugene full-force. Something about the indelicate move made Eugene think Jesse was being cute. It was like Jesse was making sure it couldn’t be missed or ignored. A bratty move, for sure. But a cute one too.

“Does it have to be your _best_ behavior?”Jesse asked imploringly. “Surely, good behavior will do.”

Eugene pretended to consider it but they both knew Jesse had won. Eugene settled his hands at Jesse’s sides, finding his shirt as soft as it had looked, and Jesse leaned in, smile pulled up on one side, victorious. As he kissed that smile off Jesse’s face, Eugene was glad Jesse’d won this battle.

Jesse’s mouth fell open and his fingers dug into Eugene’s biceps, as if there was any chance Eugene would leave if not held in place. There wasn’t, and Eugene held Jesse tighter to him to indicate as much. The taste of cinnamon was flooding Eugene’s mouth even before he flicked his tongue briefly into Jesse’s. Jesse took to the change of pace, gliding his tongue against Eugene’s and briefly into his mouth before retreating again. Eugene had found that with Jesse, less was more, and he easily fell back to focusing on lips, only accenting the sensations with tongue or teeth on occasion—a well-timed nibble or excursion deeper into the kiss could get Jesse to make appreciative sounds or involuntary jolts of pleasure. Eugene always timed it perfectly.

It wasn’t long before temptation won out and Eugene dragged his hands up Jesse’s body, which radiated warmth but wasn’t producing enough to compensate for the cold air he’d blasted into the room when he came in. Jesse twitched at the first pass Eugene’s hands made over his nipples, perked up from the chill and poorly concealed beneath the soft, thin shirt he’d worn to bed. But Eugene’s hands weren’t just wandering aimlessly tonight and the slight brush wasn’t all he had planned. Jesse seemed responsive to the touch when Eugene honed in on the already hard nubs. He rubbed gently around one, gauging the reaction.

Eugene hadn’t ever asked Jesse about his previous experience with this kind of stuff—dating, kissing, touching—it wasn’t something he generally cared much about. His partners had all been experienced enough to know what they wanted and how to get it. But if Aiden was to be believed and Jesse had been unseducible, he didn’t want to overwhelm Jesse or start moving too fast. So, contrary to how he usually did things, Eugene went slowly. Jesse wasn’t a one time fling, they had time to get more intimately acquainted. It didn’t all need to happen right away. But Eugene couldn’t help himself from lightly pinching a nipple, not when it was stood up like that.

“Okay?” Eugene asked at Jesse’s gasp.

“Mmm,” Jesse murmured, pulling Eugene’s mouth back against his. He took that as a yes and continued.

When Jesse next broke for air, Eugene trailed kisses down his neck. He had the idea to kiss down more and, with no reason to refrain, he followed the impulse, kissing his way down Jesse’s chest.

“If you’re going to do that,” Jesse said, “why not just take the shirt off? You can. If you’d like.”

Eugene _would_ like. And, since Jesse was offering, Eugene found the hem of Jesse’s shirt and inched it up his waist, his chest, over his head, freed it from his arms.

“You’re right,” Eugene only made eye-contact after he’d done a very deliberate and unsubtle sweep-over of what he saw. There was a lot to see, a lot to like. “This _is_ better.”

Eugene hadn’t appreciated Jesse’s perfect proportions and dewy skin back when the weather had allowed for swimming. His eyes had been fixed to a different boy every time before now that he’d seen Jesse out of his shirt, any acknowledgment of Jesse’s beauty—and there _had_ been acknowledgment—had been tagged in his brain as _unfortunate, irritating, _or _obnoxious._ Eugene had not wanted to fall into that trap. Frankly, he hadn’t thought he was in any real danger of it back then. But now, Eugene had already fallen and Jesse looked even better than he’d remembered.

Jesse, obviously, was aware of Eugene’s admiration, smug smile back in place.

“I’m right a lot of the time.”

“No, you’re not. But you _are_ really pretty.” Eugene ran a hand from hipbone to ribcage, causing Jesse to shiver deliciously. “_And_ super sensitive.”

“I am not,” Jesse protested. “Just because everything rolls off of you doesn’t mean that I’m unusually sensitive. If anything, it means you’re unusually_ in_sensitive.”

Eugene was sure it was a joke but Jesse’s scowl didn’t lighten up. “Well,” he said, fighting the laugh out of his voice, “you’ve just lost yourself two points, bud. You definitely _are_ unusually sensitive about everything. But that’s not what I was talking about this time.”

“Oh,” Jesse exhaled, coloring as he realized what Eugene _had_ been talking about. Eugene kissed his bare shoulder, then made his way once again down Jesse’s chest.

“I like it,” Eugene said between kisses. “All your sensitivities, I like them.”

“So you’ll stop making fun of me for them?”

“Not a chance. That’s one of my favorite parts. Teasing you.”

And he intended to get back to it. Jesse’s nipples stood out starkly from his white skin, pretty pink and, as far as Eugene was concerned, in need of attention. The direct touch got a much more pronounced reaction when Eugene lightly rubbed a thumb over one and kissed the other. The shuddering reaction might also have been due to an increase in sensitivity; Jesse was warmed up and wanting.

Eugene dragged his lips across the sensitive skin again and again, hinting at the possibility of something more satisfying without delivering right away. Jesse was getting impatient, making little sounds and shifting, though neither could make Eugene hurry it up.

“I don’t see,” Jesse managed, a little breathily, “why you like them so much.”

“‘Cause they’re cute,” Eugene told him, blowing as he withdrew temporarily to speak. “Next question.”

When Jesse didn’t produce a new question fast enough, Eugene kissed once more at the nipple before taking it very gently between teeth and swirling his tongue over it, rolling the other between thumb and forefinger. Jesse groaned so unabashedly that Eugene’s first thought was to tell him to keep it down. Then he remembered that he wasn’t in a dorm room or sequestered somewhere with equally thin walls and was grateful for that fact. He liked the sound of Jesse’s voice. And Jesse was terrible at shutting up, so it wasn’t likely he could have been convinced to _keep it down_ even if they weren’t alone in this massive room in its own hallway of this massive house.

Eventually, Jesse tugged insistently on Eugene’s hair, drawing him away from his chest.

“What’s up?” He asked, glancing over Jesse but finding his face and body language devoid of distress.

“It’s unfair,” Jesse said. “I’m half-naked and you’ve still got your shirt on.”

“You’re the one that wanted me to take your shirt off,” Eugene grinned at Jesse. His skin had taken on a seemingly permanent flush that darkened at the reminder. But he didn’t back down.

“And now I want you to take _your_ shirt off.”

Eugene reached behind his back and yanked off his sleepshirt easily, discarding it among the blankets to join Jesse’s.

“Enjoying the view of my sculpted muscles?” Eugene asked, flexing for extra effect. Eugene wasn’t sure whether to laugh at Jesse’s unhidden gawking or feel embarrassed at the intense attention.

“You don’t _need_ all that for fencing,” Jesse said, which made up Eugene’s mind to laugh. “What’s the point?”

“Impressing pretty blond boys,” Eugene explained seriously, pulling Jesse to him for a kiss. “Specifically the sort with pretty blue eyes that are always checking me out.”

“I am _not_ always—,”

Eugene kissed him again. And again. And a fourth time. Then, when he was sure Jesse was done being contrary and difficult, he mouthed at his neck. Remembering how easily red Jesse’s skin turned at the lightest of suggestion, he was careful not to suggest it redden at all. Not until he found a spot on Jesse’s chest that could be easily concealed. Then he had his fill of Jesse’s sensitive skin, sucking and kissing and rolling it between teeth. It marked up incredibly easily and Eugene found it profoundly satisfying to take advantage of Jesse’s thin skin in this way.

“Bro—,”

“Do you have to call me bro right _now?”_ Jesse complained.

“Bro,” Eugene said again, touching fingers over hickeys and slighter marks, “with how easily marked you are, I’m surprised you don’t have more evidence of fencing on you.”

“That’s because I never get hit,” Jesse replied, snooty and insufferable.

“I bet you wear extra layers of protection to keep your skin pristine.”

“Extra layers might have protected it tonight.” Jesse looked down at his chest. “Now I know.”

“Yeah? And will you be wearing extra layers in the future?”

“Absolutely not,” Jesse said, tugging Eugene to him with both hands and kissing. Eugene adjusted his head, pulled his hips closer so there wasn’t as much leaning needed, and kissed him back. Scrubbing a hand through the hair Jesse kept fairly short in the back drove him even farther against Eugene. He was careful with his other callused hand, making sure not to rub too harshly against Jesse’s delicate back and sides, bare and vulnerable to soreness from prolonged contact.

“Jess,” Eugene had to pull away more than he wanted so he could speak, “I could kiss you all night. But we’d better stop or my good behavior will run out.”

“Good,” Jesse said, kissing Eugene’s cheek and then resting his chin against his shoulder, hugging tight. “Good behavior is overrated.”

“Anyone who thinks you’re a prude is wrong.”

“What?” Jesse sat up. “Who thinks that?”

“Everyone you’ve sent packing after they made advances on you.”

“Aiden. He _did_ tell you about that, didn’t he? But it’s _his_ fault about the water, he was saying invasive things and—,” Jesse cut off, glowering at Eugene for his laughter. Eugene could just picture it, Aiden coming onto Jesse too strong, whispering his _explicit_ brand of flirtation in a sensitive ear, and Jesse turning red enough to roast a marshmallow on, pouring his water over Aiden’s head to make him stop. “Stop laughing,” Jesse insisted.

“Sorry.” He didn’t stop laughing.

“It’s not funny.”

“It is too funny,” Eugene said, settling down, “but only because I’ve got you in my bed and Aiden got water to the face when he tried for you. Anyway, you ready for sleep now?”

“You—,” Jesse put his hands on his hips, which looked ridiculous so Eugene did him a favor and collected both his hands, pulling them up for a kiss. “You intentionally killed the mood.”

“Pretty _and_ clever. I’m a lucky guy.”

“A prude,” Jesse muttered, yanking his hands away from Eugene. “Bet Seiji was happy to hear that.”

Eugene thought back to that morning and Seiji’s unusually good mood. He wanted to ask what their history was but, while he might have killed the mood on purpose, he didn’t think bringing an ex-infatuation into the bedroom was a good idea.

“Can I get that goodnight kiss now?” Eugene asked instead.

“No.” Jesse climbed off him. Eugene leaned back, using an arm to support him as he watched Jesse push back the blankets and sheet, then as he fluffed a pillow, then as he made to get into his perfectly prepared spot. He didn’t. Just like Eugene had known he would, Jesse crawled back over to him, giving him the goodnight kiss he’d requested.

“Thank you, Jesse Bear,” Eugene said, catching his cheek and kissing him again.

“You’re not putting your shirt back on,” Jesse told him sternly, trying to sound irritated and failing miserably.

“I can live with that penance.”

“And get the light.”

Eugene released Jesse to go deal with the lamp. He looked back at Jesse before turning it off though, for one last look before it went dark.

Jesse was knelt in the uncovered bit of bed, light making a fuzzy golden halo of his hair. He really was something else, Jesse Coste.

Then Jesse unwittingly ruined the strange mood that had overtaken Eugene by reaching into his pocket and producing something small and patterned in blues. Another sleep mask. And this one looked like a bra.

Eugene could have died of laughter if he’d let himself start. By way of getting murdered by his boyfriend, if Jesse’s warning scowl was anything to go on when he noticed Eugene’s eyes on him. The mask itself was only part of the hilarity, the other part was the pure absurdity of this. The first person Eugene had ever wanted to share a bed with overnight—without even having sex first—and he’d picked the fussiest boy he could find. Sleep machines and masks and temperatures, a huge hassle to sleep next to all the way around. And Eugene wanted to spend so many more nights just like this. Tiny sleeveless bra on Jesse’s head and all.

“Lights, Gene,” Jesse insisted. Eugene turned them off and slid under the blankets, finding Jesse with an arm and pulling him close. His skin had already gone cold, despite it only having been minutes since Eugene had thoroughly warmed it up.

“Sleep tight.”

“I will,” Jesse said, snuggling closer.


	26. Chapter 26

Eugene’s arm was asleep. It was _so_ asleep that it felt more like the Pillsbury Doughboy’s arm than his. But Jesse was peacefully sleeping on it so Eugene didn’t do anything to remedy the situation immediately upon waking. Shifting Jesse to free his arm made him stir, just like Eugene had thought it might. With his eye bra still on, it was impossible to tell how awake Jesse was but he readjusted and tucked back in. The clock on the nightstand told Eugene that they still had a little time left before waking was mandatory.

When feeling returned to Eugene’s hand, he trailed it down Jesse’s arm and up again, finding it cold from slipping out of their blankets. Jesse was alright to share a bed with, really. He didn’t snore or toss all night. He didn’t steal blankets or hog pillows. He was just heavy and clingy. And fussy about the circumstances of the room. It was impressive he’d left behind his humidifier and sound machine when sneaking in last night.

“Pet my hair,” Jesse’s drowsy voice requested.

“If you’re awake, we should probably get up.”

“I’m not awake.”

“Three minutes, then it’s up and at ‘em,” Eugene bargained. Jesse groaned and pulled tighter against him. Eugene kept up his end of the deal, petting Jesse’s buttercup yellow hair. “You know,” he said after four minutes had ticked by, “maybe there’s something to the whole dating your roommate thing that’s so popular at my school.”

“Is this your way of saying you’re leaving me for Jordie?” Jesse found the idea so hilarious that he didn’t even get jealous at the thought of Eugene leaving him for someone else. He giggled into Eugene’s shoulder. The sound made Eugene smile a bit, just like it had for months.

“Who’d leave you for Jordie?” He asked, just because he knew it would please Jesse. It did.

Jesse sat up, tugging off his mask, smile full and bright. “Aren’t you glad I didn’t let you do something dumb like spend the night alone?”

“Very,” Eugene said, eyes landing on the pretty stains he’d left on Jesse’s chest. “And stop bragging, you’re bound to be right on occasion.”

“I thought modesty didn’t suit me,” Jesse smirked down at him. He looked stunning from this angle, collarbones prominent, shoulders sloped elegantly to accommodate the arm that propped him up, head tilted and eyes sparkling. Even his extremely messy hair looked purposeful and lent to the look. He could have been a model for one of those horny dudes during the renaissance.

“I guess that’s right,” Eugene admitted, reaching lazily to skim fingertips across the stains he’d just been admiring. Jesse leaned into the touch, looking ready for more. Eugene was the one smirking now and he tapped Jesse’s sternum twice before sitting up and stretching. “Wonder where my shirt got off to.”

“Hm?” Jesse clearly hadn’t heard a thing he’d said, his eyes getting all the processing power for the moment. Eugene laughed.

“We should get dressed,” he said bluntly. “Get breakfast. Socialize with the other people in your castle.”

“Oh. Right, yes, we should probably do that.”

But Eugene had to admit that it was a shame to see Jesse pull on his shirt once he’d found it and an even bigger shame to watch him leave.

  


* * *

  


Eugene watched in amusement as Jesse piled strawberries and cream so high on his crepe, there was no way it would all fit.

“You need a shovel to eat all that,” Eugene said, spreading Nutella on his own crepe. “You won’t even be able to taste anything under all that shit.”

“The crepe is just the vehicle for the good stuff so it doesn’t matter.”

“You should have seen him in middle school,” Seiji told Eugene, already settled at the counter next to Nick. “He used to pile strawberries into a whole tub of Cool Whip and eat it in a single sitting.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” Jesse scowled.

“Ask Sam,” Seiji suggested.

Sam didn’t need to be asked, happily volunteering the information from behind the skillet. Eugene laughed at her stories of Jesse’s questionable dietary habits from middle school and how he’d sulked when Robert had nudged him towards a more reasonable meal plan. He laughed at Jesse’s sour face as he picked at his barely-closed crepe, and whispered into Jesse’s ear when everyone else was distracted, effectively turning the sour expression into something much sweeter. All the while, though, he kept finding it hard to reconcile Seiji’s recent attitude toward Jesse with the memories he had from the fall of Jesse’s slick charm and Seiji’s obvious anger. Eugene knew they’d started getting along; they hadn’t had much of a choice with how often they saw each other and how much they both liked Nick. But it was strange to see them interact first-hand. They were more like friends than he’d expected.

  


* * *

  


Jesse abducted Eugene as soon as they were done eating, not giving him a chance to get distracted with silly things like manners and mothers again. The room he was taken to was very Jesse. And very huge. Eugene hadn’t let Jesse take him here last night, sure he’d never be let out again if he did. It had been a pointless pursuit anyway, as it turned out.

“What’s this?” Eugene asked, absently plucking a fox-shaped beanbag thing off a shelf, the only passably childish fixture in the neat and expensive room.

“Mr. Fox,” Jesse grabbed the stuffie from him, “you microwave him.” Then, a little defensively at Eugene’s continued smile, “Mom got him for me ages ago.”

“Stomachaches?”

“Not really,” Jesse climbed onto his bed, settling down right in the middle of it. “I just like the heat.”

“You are full of contradictions.” Eugene joined Jesse on the bed.

“You like it.”

“Yeah,” Eugene agreed, pecking Jesse on the cheek before laying down and taking up his lap as a pillow. Jesse looked down at him in astonishment but Eugene only offered him a wink, stealing back Mr. Fox and holding him overhead, examining the stuffed toy. “So when’d you get this?”

“Maybe two years ago? Yeah, it was when Seiji left for France, so just around eighth grade.”

“What happened with you two, anyway?” Eugene asked. It was the first time in months he had but he kept wondering, seeing them act like old friends.

Eugene could tell right away that the question had turned Jesse’s mood. He’d gone stiff and his face had frozen how it did when he was upset and trying not to let it show. Eugene sat up to face Jesse, offering him back the fox. Jesse took it, pulling it to his chest absently. It was a little bit adorable, even if everything about his body language screamed of distress and reluctance.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Eugene backtracked.

“No, that’s okay,” Jesse’s grip on the toy constricted as he spoke. “If you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But it’s…personal. For Seiji too. I don’t know if—I mean, it’s not only about me. But I think I can tell you.”

“It’s up to you. I’m curious, but if you don’t want to tell me or if you think Seiji would really mind, that’s more important.”

“He—Seiji—used to like me,” Jesse said in a rush. Not what Eugene had been expecting. “Since forever. When we were kids.”

“Okay.”

“It’s true.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I _am _surprised. But I believe you.”

“I always kind of liked that he liked me so much. He was my favorite friend and I was the only one he liked at all. But I—you know I’m no good at ignoring what other people say. What they think. My friends in middle school always had a lot to say and I cared so much about what they thought. What they said about _me _behind my back. I didn’t want them to be saying the same things about me they said about Seiji and—I know I messed up.” Jesse wouldn’t meet Eugene’s eyes.

“My other friends didn’t like Seiji much and were always talking about how strange and cold he was, stuff like that,” Jesse went on. “And then the gay rumors started and it got worse. I hadn’t thought _that_ part of Seiji was strange until then but everyone kept talking about it like it was a bad thing. Like I should be grossed out that he liked me _like that.” _ The cadence of Jesse’s speech had turned familiar, words picking up speed as Jesse got more worked up. “And then they started saying stuff about me because I didn’t stop hanging out with Seiji because he was my best friend. They said it as jokes and pretended like all their little comments weren’t meant to make me feel like they did, but I could hear the entire school whispering about us—about me—and I hated it. I didn’t want to be strange or different but I didn’t want to give up Seiji either. I started—I _know_ it’s no good but I started resenting him a little. If Seiji would just be _normal, _none of this would be a problem, you know? If he wasn’t so antisocial, wasn’t so uncharming—if he didn’t let his skill set him so apart from everyone—if he didn’t like boys—if he didn’t like _me_—if he could just be a little bit closer to the rest of my friends, maybe they’d like him enough to leave him alone. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“That’s a pretty harsh thing to think about your best friend,” Eugene said in the pause Jesse gave. He didn’t know what Jesse had expected him to say here but Jesse was right about his thinking being no good.

“I know,” Jesse’s fox was in his lap now and he held it stiffly, looking down as if his examination of it was a dire thing. “And it gets worse.” The tumbling words were gone now. It was rare for Jesse to work himself up and then work himself back down so quickly. He really wasn’t keen on admitting to _how_ it got worse. “One day, I had friends over. More like a party. There were a lot of people, a whole audience. We were downstairs talking in the theatre room and it was like it always was with those guys. They started on about Seiji and then started making digs at me about keeping him around. Then Seiji came in.” Jesse halted again. It was obvious how badly he wanted to be done talking about this.

“Jess—,”

“I yelled at him. Only after the guys started asking us about our so-called love life and asked how good Seiji was to be worth keeping so close all the time and I should have yelled at _them_ and kicked them out of my house for saying that stuff but half my grade was there and I didn’t—I guess I didn’t want them to think it was true or something. I don’t know. But I yelled at Seiji and joined in with my friends making fun of him. I don’t really remember everything I said. I know I said he was emotionless. Incapable of normal human affection, I think. I also called him a prude.” Jesse almost laughed but thought better of it. “He left after that and we weren’t friends anymore. I wasn’t kind to him when my friends brought him up or sought him out after that either. We were worse than not friends. He hated me and I practically bullied him out of the country.”

“That’s…not good, Jesse.”

“I know.”

“And then you tried to harass him into dating you after all of that?” Eugene had new respect for Seiji’s restraint during Jesse’s pursuit of him. Jesse just nodded meekly. “Seiji deserved better than that. All the way around, he deserved better from you.”

“I know.” Jesse hadn’t looked up from his lap a single time since starting his explanation. He fidgeted with the fox in his hands a moment as Eugene watched.

“You apologized?”

“I did. I said sorry loads of times but I—I properly apologized to him this year.”

“And for stalking him?” Eugene asked. “Did you say sorry for that?”

“I—,” Jesse’s brow creased. “No, I haven’t.” He chewed on his lip, then looked up from his hands and his fox. “And when I apologize to Seiji…will you forgive me?”

The question took Eugene aback. So did the worry clear on Jesse’s face, in the tension that riddled his shoulders, in his shallow breaths.

“That’s yours and Seiji’s deal, Jess, I don’t need to forgive you.”

When Jesse’s face crumpled, Eugene was sure Jesse had misunderstood. But in an instant, Jesse was launching himself at Eugene, collapsing into his arms with force, and it became clear that Jesse was simply relieved. He was like a bottle that had been all shaken up, sure that Eugene would be turned off him completely because of this revelation. And Jesse had never been good at holding in emotions for long. The cork had popped and here were the tears Jesse had been sure he’d need, just repurposed and pressed into Eugene’s shoulder.

“Hey, you’re okay,” Eugene said, automatically pulling Jesse in closer, smoothing a hand through his hair. Jesse’s fingers wound deeper into Eugene’s shirt, arms so tight around him that, again, Eugene could feel the squeeze of it in his heart. “I still like you. Even if you were a jerky middle school bully and a bad friend, I like the Jesse I know, and he’s better than that. You’re better than that now, Jess. I know that. I know you. I _like_ you.”

Eugene was sure it was what Jesse wanted to hear—what he needed to hear, even. But it only made him cry harder. So Eugene settled down and resigned himself to waiting this out.

The door clicked, a deep voice already speaking into the room before it was fully open.

“Jesse, I just got home and—ah,” Robert Coste took in the scene—Jesse crying in Eugene’s arms, the both of them in the middle of his massive bed, and a heatable rice bag shaped vaguely like a fox forgotten beside them. Then he met Eugene’s eyes over Jesse’s shoulder and neither of them said a thing, stunned expressions mirroring each other. “I see that you’re busy,” Robert said, clearing his throat. Jesse didn’t make any indication that he’d even noticed Robert was in the doorway. “I’ll leave you to it. Come say hi when you’re feeling up to it.” And he backed out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Eugene stared after him until his brain processed what had happened. He groaned, low and long and nowhere near as agonized as it needed to be to convey what he was feeling. Arms still around Jesse, Eugene let himself fall backward, landing on the mattress face-up, Jesse toppling with him, landing with a hiccuped gasp on his chest.

“I fucking hate you,” he told Jesse, slow and deliberate as he stared up at the high and slanted ceiling, hung with an actual chandelier.

“What? Why?” Jesse asked, muffled and through some sniffles that were persisting despite his surprise and indignation. “What’d I do?”

“Your dad just walked in on _this,”_ Eugene could have groaned again. “What a fucking terrible first impression.”

“But you’ve met Dad before, I know he’s talked with your team. This isn’t a _first_ impression.”

“Yeah but—Jesus, Jesse, he’s gonna think I made you cry. And,” Eugene said, hand snagging on Jesse’s soft gray pajama shirt, “he might think I slept in here too. Dads usually take issue with both those things, but _especially_ the part about me making you cry.” Eugene was great at first impressions and smooth introductions. But somehow the one he’d really wanted to nail had just gone up in flames. Or down in a flood of Jesse’s tears. He was perilously close to mortified. It was even worse because Jesse’s dad just happened to be Robert frickin’ Coste, Olympian and legend of Kings Row Boys School.

Jesse’s shaking returned but his tears didn’t, replaced with uncontrollable laughter, arms still tight around Eugene and face still pressed into his chest. Eugene decided that things definitely could have been worse.


	27. Chapter 27

Trouble💛✨  
  
**Today,** 12:45 PM  
**Jesse:** You’re still coming over Saturday, right?  
  
**Jesse:** For dinner  
  
**Eugene:** Why are you so sure I’ll forget about it?  
  
**Eugene:** Yeah, Jess, I’m still coming to dinner  
  
**Jesse:** I just wanted to make sure  
  
**Eugene:** Like you have the last fifty times you asked, I know 🙄  
  
  
  


Trouble💛✨  
  
**Eugene:** Your dad invited me, no way am I gonna miss it  
  
**Jesse:** Okay good  
  
**Jesse:** See, I told you not to worry about Dad, didn’t I?  
  
**Eugene:** I didn’t say I was worried  
  
**Jesse:** Oh please  
  
**Eugene:** Anyway I still can’t believe he remembered my name  
  
**Jesse:** Considering how much I’ve told him about you I’d have been surprised if he didn’t remember it  
  
  
  


Trouble💛✨  
  
**Eugene:** lmao right  
  
**Jesse:** You don’t think I talk about you?  
  
**Eugene:** Not to your parents. Who talks boys to their DAD?  
  
**Jesse:** Well I can’t talk to Mom. She’s meaner and also more prone to sex talks. She offered to ‘give me a review’ now that I’ve ‘actually got a chance of getting laid’ 😒 So yeah, I like talking to Dad way better about that stuff  
  
**Eugene:** 🤣🤣🤣  
  
**Eugene:** I love your mom  
  
  
  


Trouble💛✨  
  
**Eugene:** So it’s your dad’s fault you’re like this, huh?  
  
**Jesse:** How do you mean?  
  
**Eugene:** Clearly he’s the one that babies you the most  
  
**Jesse:** shut up  
  
**Eugene:** how do you guys even function as student and coach? The baby of the family is pretty much impossible to boss around ESPECIALLY from the one who babies them most  
  
**Jesse:** So you have a hard time getting Fritz to do anything?  
  
  
  


Trouble💛✨  
  
**Eugene:** Ha! Good one  
  
**Jesse:** To answer your rudely phrased question, Coach Mode. Dad’s ruthless when we’re fencing  
  
**Jesse:** So you’re definitely coming Saturday?  
  
**Eugene:** YES   
  
**Eugene:** jfc I swear on my Adidas that I’m really, really, REALLY coming  
  
**Jesse:** :)   
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  


Eugene’s door opened. He had an open-door policy and his friends all knew it. The only times he’d lock it were when he was doing something—or some_one_—important. Jordie got in the way of that though and anyway, as his boyfriend didn’t go to this school, the door hadn’t been locked in ages.

“Oh great, he’s back,” Jordie muttered before Eugene had even looked to check who ‘he’ was.

“Oh great, he’s still here.” That got Eugene’s attention. He abandoned his game and shut his laptop.

“I thought I was hitching a ride with Nick and Seiji,” Eugene said, standing up to greet Jesse. Jordie groaned.

“Do you have to kiss? Really? I’m _right here.”_

“If you’ve got a problem, you’re welcome to leave until we’re gone,” Jesse shot at Jordie, then smiled back at Eugene. “I convinced Mom to pick me up early.”

“You really know how to get your way, don’t you?”

“Most the time. But it doesn’t look like your roommate’s about to give us any privacy so let’s go.”

Jesse waved sweetly at Jordie before pulling the door shut as they left the room. He was in a good mood. Getting his way always put him in one. Eugene was in a good mood, too. Recently, seeing Jesse always put him in one.

“I can’t believe you just leave your door unlocked all the time.”

“Why lock it when I’m inside it?”

“Because I happen to know you believe in air drying.”

“My friends know the risks when they visit me,” Eugene laughed.

“I say this with affection but, Gene, that’s just uncouth.”

“Uncouth riffraff, that’s me.”

“Would you stop bringing that up?” Jesse huffed.

“Never.”

Jesse passed Eugene his keys before they were even back to his car, which looked pristine despite the snow and road salt that every other vehicle was splattered in. Eugene wondered if Jesse had found a car wash before coming here.

The drive was peaceful and, by now, starting to become familiar. Marcel had been surprised when Eugene had mentioned his plans for tonight, taking a rain check on the pizza and movie at the mall Marcel had suggested. _I’ve been his friend for two years and he’s never had me over. _Eugene thought he understood the reason for that now. Jesse was trying to separate himself from the kid that’d had over half the school and berated his best friend in front of them all. But isolating himself wasn’t helping anyone, in Eugene’s opinion.

“You have a pool, right?” Eugene asked.

“Yes. Why?” Jesse’s suspicion was obvious.

“Relax, I’m not plotting revenge. I was just thinking it would be fun to have Marcel over with the freshies sometime over the summer.” There wasn’t an immediate response and Eugene caught a glimpse of a pout in the corner of his eye. He grabbed up Jesse’s hand. “Don’t be a brat. You’re going to have to get over your thing about Marcel eventually. He’s one of your best friends, shouldn’t you be glad we all get along?”

“I don’t have a _thing_ about Marcel.” This time, Eugene was the one who didn’t respond. “Okay, fine. Whatever. But Seiji and Nick won’t be freshies at that point.”

“They’ll always be freshies in my heart.”

“Gross.”

“Can I ask you something?” Eugene’s mind had fallen back to Jesse’s confession last week. Jesse must have sensed it because his hand became rigid in Eugene’s grip. He really needed to stop worrying so much; Eugene had said all he needed to on the subject. Really, he’d always known whatever had happened had to have been pretty bad. And Jesse’s fault. That hadn’t stopped him from liking Jesse, and knowing the details wasn’t about to change that either. But he still had a question left.

“I guess.”

“You can say no.”

“But now I’m curious. So go ahead and ask.”

“What happened? Why’d you decide you liked Seiji after all?”

“Oh,” Jesse said. “That. I missed him right away but it was when he went to France that I kind of—I don’t know, _got_ that this was a permanent thing, you know?”

“Ah, so that’s why Sam got you Mr. Fox. To cheer you up.”

“Pretty much. I never told Mom and Dad. I don’t think I will. But Seiji moved to France and I started...moving away from my other friends. I guess she got worried. I was still friends with all of them, I didn’t have the guts to ever tell them they were wrong about Seiji but I wasn’t close with them anymore because they _weren’t _Seiji. I couldn’t talk to them like I could talk to him. But I ended up getting a girlfriend. The prettiest girl in our grade and she really liked me.”

“Of course.”

“Yes _of course._ Everyone at that school loved me, haven’t I been telling you what lengths I went to to make sure of it?”

“Alright, so you and this girlfriend. Sexual identity crisis?”

“Something like that. I thought I liked her but I might have just liked that she liked me. I didn’t really like kissing her or being with her and I started to worry I might be like Seiji. And I just wanted to talk with him. Ask him how he knew. The more I thought about it, the more I missed him, the more I kind of thought I must be strange just like him. But I didn’t want anyone to find out because I—I still didn’t want all those voices whispering about me. Not how they whispered about Seiji. So I stayed with my girlfriend until graduation. I still don’t know if she was the problem or if girls are the problem or what, but I talked to Dad about it that summer. I asked what it was supposed to feel like when you were with someone because I didn’t want another sex talk from Mom, I’d only just gotten my first. The way Dad described being with Mom, I kept thinking how I’d felt closest to that when I was with Seiji and—,” Jesse’s arm shifted as he shrugged. “I realized I liked him. And I got another sex talk from Mom not long after.”

“Sounds like a rough summer.”

“Freshman year was good though. Marcel had a boy over the day I moved in, actually. And no one from middle school was Exton material—they didn’t go to Exton, I mean,” Jesse corrected, probably remembering Eugene’s _riffraff _comment earlier. “So I adjusted my image to accommodate liking boys and no one really seemed to mind. Actually, given that I go to an all boys school, I’d say a lot of my classmates were happy to know. If I felt like bragging.”

“You always feel like bragging,” Eugene tightened his hand around Jesse’s for a second. “I’m glad you got yourself figured out.”

“Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: after I accepted that Trouble wasn't gonna be 7 chapters (lmao) and eventually decided to plan out the remaining chapters, I actually came up with 27 as the final number. I'm honestly surprised it's stayed so close to that plan. I guess we'll see if the number sneaks up again though XD


	28. Chapter 28

“Where are you going?” Jesse asked in alarm, almost running right into his mother after flinging open the door.

“To Kings Row, funnily enough. The car broke down just next to that little park, do you know the one? Doesn’t matter. Point is, the car broke and I’m on a rescue mission.”

“I bet Nick broke it,” Jesse said. “He’s been learning to drive,” he explained to Eugene.

“Jesse Coste, you are _not _to say that to him, do you understand?” Sam was every bit as tall as Jesse and, standing with hands on hips and a sterner expression than Eugene had ever seen on her, she seemed to tower over her son. Jesse nodded. “Good,” her smile was back and she pecked a kiss into Jesse’s hair and patted Eugene’s shoulder before sliding past them into the garage. “I’m sure it’s just wear and tear, it happens. Help yourselves to anything while I’m gone, we might be a while.”

“Nick’s got a thing about being an inconvenience,” Jesse said as he unlaced his boots. “It’s his mom’s fault.”

“You’re playing nice with her anyway, I hope.”

“I’ve been good.” Jesse sniffed at Eugene’s doubtful expression. He hadn’t been exactly convincing. “We don’t really get along but it’s fine because we don’t usually have to talk. I guess she’s alright lately. And I _have _been good. Not a single passive aggressive insight about her parenting or anything.”

“Keep up the good work.”

“I don’t have much of a choice. Anyway, I wish Mom would’ve called to tell us about the car.”

“Yeah, we could have just gone back and got the others. Saved her the trip. Would’ve been a tight squeeze but we’d all fit.”

Jesse stared at him. “No, I meant I’m starving and if I’d known we’d have to find lunch ourselves, I’d have made you stop somewhere. It could have been like a—,” Jesse didn’t finish, going red.

“Out of curiosity, could you be any more of a prince if you tried?”

“I guess we could have picked up the others too.”

“There we go. But how ‘bout this, if you’re hungry, I’ll just make you something.”

“You don’t have to,” Jesse said, quick as anything. For someone that loved being spoiled as much as Jesse, he sure did pull himself back more often than Eugene understood the purpose for. He just shrugged and rolled up his sleeves, already making his way to the kitchen sink.

“It’s no biggie,” he told Jesse, who was fretting over his shoulder. “I like cooking.”

“What?” Jesse asked with incredulity. “Genuinely?” Eugene had to turn around to get an eyeful of his disbelieving face—it was one that spoke of a disbelief that _anyone_ could genuinely enjoy cooking because Jesse most certainly did not.

“Not a fan of cooking?”

“No,” Jesse said, looking around his unfairly spacious kitchen with extreme distrust. “It’s my one failing as a son. Mom and Dad have been trying for years to teach me to cook but I hate it. They’ve turned on Nick now but they’re not having much luck there, either.”

“Really?” Eugene asked, poking through the fridge and taking stock of what there was and what he could make it into.

“It’s not that he hates cooking,” Jesse went on, “or even that he’s particularly bad at it. It’s more that he’s a disaster in the kitchen. In every way it is possible to be a disaster in a kitchen.”

Eugene barked a laugh. “I could see that. Let’s just hope Seiji’s competent at it or they’re doomed.”

“You think they’ll last long enough for it to matter?” Jesse asked. Stupid question.

“You don’t?”

“I didn’t say that. But the probability of staying with your high school sweetheart in the long run is extremely low, isn’t it?”

“Is it? And be careful how you answer because you’re starting to sound like Seiji and it’s a real turn off.”

“Just because no one says it doesn’t mean it’s not the truth. Lasting that long isn’t easy.”

“Your parents were high school sweethearts, weren’t they?”

“Do you think it might be genetic?”

“Sure. Or Kings Row might just be hella good luck. Yeah, I think Seiji and Nick are gonna last long enough that one of them had better be decent at making food or they’ll die of malnutrition before they can grow old together.”

“I didn’t know you were such a romantic,” Jesse said, hip leaned up against the kitchen counter now as he watched Eugene, a smile playing across his lips.

“Your mistake,” Eugene took a detour on his way to the cupboard to kiss Jesse.

“Eugene?” Jesse held to his sweater loosely.

“Yeah?”

“I just wanted to—,” for a second, Jesse looked distressed, but then he shook his head. “Never mind, it’s nothing.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Jesse was smiling again. Eugene weighed his options, deciding if pressing Jesse on this would do any good or only make Jesse stubborn and angry.

“Remember how you agreed to talk to me about things, yeah? I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just glad you’re here, that’s all.”

Eugene had to let it go because Jesse distracted him with kisses until he remembered he’d been in the middle of something and had to pull away. Whatever had Jesse worried would come out eventually if it was something Eugene needed to be worrying about. It always did. For now, he left it.

Helping Sam last week had given him a pretty good feel for the kitchen so he navigated it easily enough. He’d have to do some improvisation, substitution, and over-all tweaking of the recipe he had in mind but Eugene had always been good at working with what he had. He was chopping vegetables when he felt arms loop around him and a head nestle on his shoulder, against his neck.

“You’re not helping,” Eugene said. The arms tightened around him.

“I never said I was trying to. What’re you making?”

“Pancit. Or something based on pancit.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised. Will you try it anyway?”

“I’m picky, not stupid. Obviously I’ll try the food you’re specially making just for me.” Warm lips pressed against Eugene’s neck. Jesse was horribly distracting in the kitchen and Eugene had half a mind to kick him out. But Jesse kissed his neck again and sighed in contentment and Eugene didn’t have the heart to banish him.

“You can stay like that until I’m done chopping, but then Imma need to move again, bud,” he warned. Jesse nodded and Eugene could practically feel his smile at, once again, getting exactly what he wanted.

  


* * *

  


Jesse didn’t look convinced as he swirled noodles around his fork. Eugene hadn’t been convinced about the noodles, either. The Costes didn’t have rice stick pancit noodles but the rice noodles he’d found in the back of the pantry had actually done just fine. Jesse brought his loaded fork to his mouth and, true to his word, he tried it. Eugene watched, curious how he’d react if he didn’t like it. Eugene had thicker skin than to get offended if Jesse—a notoriously picky eater—didn’t like what he’d cooked. But he suspected Jesse would try to lie anyway.

He didn’t have to. Lucky, since he was a terrible liar. At his first bite, Jesse just looked relieved. Eugene laughed, knowing that meant he didn’t hate it. A couple more bites and Jesse smiled brightly.

“I like it,” he declared. “You’re a good cook.”

“Thanks,” Eugene was smiling too, and finally started in on his own plate, though he’d been tasting it along the way to make sure it was up to his standards. It was honestly closer than he’d expected to get. “I’m glad your taste buds know what’s up.”

“I still can’t believe you actually _like_ cooking.”

“That’s what Junior always says.”

They went quiet as they ate but Eugene couldn’t keep his eyes to himself. Eventually, Jesse lost patience ignoring it.

“What?” He asked. “Why do you keep looking at me? And why are you smiling like that?”

“It’s just weird to be eating this when it’s so quiet, y’know?”

“Not really?”

“Pancit is family food. But here I am, eating it with a white boy who’s sat up on the countertop. Strange.”

Jesse shifted like he was considering hopping off the counter he’d perched on. He must have picked up the habit from his mom and Eugene thought it was kind of cute, even if it did make Jesse taller than he already was.

“You’re still smiling,” Jesse said, deciding to stay put.

“I know I am.”

“Thank you. For sharing family food with me. How do you say it again? Pancit?”

“Yeah, you got it.”

“Is that Tagalog?”

“Dude,” Eugene said, looking up at Jesse with amusement. “Have you…done _research_ on my culture?” No one knew what _Tagalog_ was.

Jesse went red all over, eyes slowly growing huge and panicked.

“Is that okay?” He asked with sincere worry. “I just—I wanted to know more about you and—,”

“Your stalker tendencies kicked in?” Eugene supplied. Jesse became visibly more flustered and Eugene’s smile grew even wider. “What else did you learn from your research?”

“You’re making it sound weird, stop it. I’m sorry if I overstepped—I just—,”

With a little laugh, Eugene slid off his stool to stand in front of Jesse and then pulled him close by his long legs.

“It’s okay.” He brushed Jesse’s long bangs behind his ear. “Just funny. And possibly sweet, in a very Jesse sort of way.” He took Jesse’s plate from his hands, putting it aside so it wouldn’t get in the way when he tugged Jesse down for a kiss. Jesse’s skin was hot from his flush but he fell against Eugene without protest. He’d be protesting soon, Eugene was sure. He was bent over like a giraffe and he wouldn’t stand for the discomfort much longer. Eugene spared him the complaint.

“Wait, get back here,” Jesse complained anyway.

“Are you finished eating? If we don’t clean up now, it’ll never get done.”

Jesse didn’t answer, debating whether to argue with Eugene on this. Finally, he picked up his plate and finished the last bite on it. “I’m done,” he said, hopping down from his perch at last.

To Eugene’s surprise, he not only deposited his plate in the dishwasher but also helped tidy the rest of the kitchen.

“What? I have manners,” Jesse told him.

“I know you do, I’m just not used to you using them on me.”

“You make me sound like a terrible—whatever. It’ll go faster if I help.”

“I don’t think you’re terrible, Jess,” Eugene reassured automatically. It was strange how normal that had become to him. How much he didn’t actually mind it. “I appreciate the help. I’ve got things I’d like to get to as fast as possible.”

  


* * *

  


“I forgot to put Mr. Fox away,” Jesse gasped when he and Eugene got to his room. He rushed to his bed and scooped up the stuffed toy, replacing it on the shelf Eugene had plucked it from a week ago.

Eugene nudged the door shut and locked it, reasoning that being barged in on if the others got back earlier than expected was worse than having them all know Eugene and Jesse were up to no good. Because, clearly, Jesse had gotten his disregard for privacy from his father.

Jesse was still messing about with the fox when Eugene got payback for earlier and caught him around the middle, abandoning all subtlety and sneaking a hand up the front of Jesse’s shirt right off. Jesse gasped again, hands flying to Eugene’s arms before realizing what sort of attack this was and relaxing into him.

“Can I confess something?” Eugene asked, following Jesse’s example and kissing the base of his neck.

“Hmm?”

Eugene kissed the juncture of neck and shoulder again, then kissed up his neck, then right behind his ear. “I’m glad it worked out this way,” Eugene said, low and quiet and directly into a delicate ear. “Maybe that’s selfish but you make me greedy.” The tip of the delicate ear turned pink and Eugene kissed it, finally giving in and scratching an itch that’d been building for longer than he’d been willing to acknowledge. Jesse shuddered when Eugene traced over the shell of his ear very lightly with his tongue.

“Gene,” he whined, twisting around to face Eugene, but Eugene didn’t give him what he wanted.

“Oh no,” he said, kissing the side of Jesse’s cheek, “I’m not done,” and then, in a whisper, “I’ve always wondered how sensitive your ears really are.”

_Extremely,_ seemed to be the answer. Jesse’s hold on Eugene kept tightening and little noises like moans kept escaping him as Eugene kissed and caressed extremely pink ears. Much like in kissing, Jesse responded well to the occasional flick of tongue—especially when paired with cool breath directly after—or a gentle tug of teeth on an earlobe. But the simple mouthing and the feather-light fingertips following the curve of the other was more than enough to turn Jesse to putty. Before Jesse, Eugene hadn’t been much interested in ears. But Jesse was a whole lot of nerve endings just begging to be set alight.

Jesse coaxed Eugene away from his ears, demanding a proper kiss and twisting fingers into his hair insistently. Eugene had to admit that Jesse was pretty damn good at setting _his _nerve endings on fire too. Everywhere Jesse’s fingers roamed left a trail of sparks behind them and he kissed like he needed Eugene to know how much he wanted this. It made Eugene want to give it to him, to kiss him for hours and until their lips were too raw to continue.

Jesse’s hands slipped up his sweater and got right to untucking his shirt. Unlike Eugene, Jesse wasn’t satisfied with a palm pressed into a bare back or chest. As he watched his sweater fall to the floor, Eugene was extremely glad he’d thought to lock the door.

“Your hair’s a disaster,” Jesse said, already on his way to work at Eugene’s button-down.

“I bet it is. First you had your hands all up in it and now you’ve gone and dragged my sweater across my whole damn head.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Like hell you don’t,” Eugene growled, lunging for Jesse and catching him in something that was more laugh than kiss.

A loud and obnoxious tone made them both jump, then laugh more when Jesse produced his ringing phone. Looking down at the screen, Jesse’s laughter faded, leaving him with a slightly miffed expression.

“Hi Mom,” he said, accepting the call with a scrunched nose for Eugene’s benefit, conveying his annoyance at being interrupted. Eugene listened to the conversation without paying too much attention, most of it from this end was Jesse _uh-huh_ing and _okay_ing.

“So what was that about?” Eugene asked when Jesse pocketed his phone again.

“They’ll be back in twenty minutes. The towing company got to Dad before Mom did and gave them a lift to the shop so she didn’t have to go as far.”

“Nice of her to give us a warning.” With that, Eugene bent down to retrieve his sweater. “Don’t give me that look,” he said, pulling it back on before Jesse could stop him.

“We still have twenty minutes.”

“You look like you’ve been having a good time, if you know what I mean,” Eugene tapped on Jesse’s reddened lips, though that was only one of the tells. “And I’m sure I look about the same.” He tucked his shirt back in, straightened out the collar and sleeves, then went ahead and arranged Jesse’s shirt since it didn’t look like he planned to.

Jesse considered pitching a fit, Eugene could track the idea as it entered Jesse’s mind, as he turned it over, and as he mercifully dismissed it. When Jesse stepped to him, Eugene expected a last kiss. Just to show him that Jesse did as he wanted. But the hands that were all up in his hair again only persuaded it back into as neat a state as Eugene generally kept it.

“There, all fixed,” Jesse said, stepping away again and looking Eugene up and down. “You look really nice today.”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”

“I’ve just never seen you in a button-down unless you’re in uniform. And you haven’t even pushed up your sleeves or anything.”

“You pay too much attention to clothes, bro.”

“Says you,” Jesse glared. “You mock my clothes all the time.”

“Only when you dress like a prat. Which, okay yeah, is all the time,” Eugene conceded. Jesse pursed his lips but let the insult go.

“Admit it, you dressed up for dinner.”

“Can’t make me.”

“This isn’t a _Robert Coste_ thing, is it?”

“No. This is a _Jesse Coste’s dad_ thing.”

The pinched lips and tight eyes disappeared as soon as Jesse processed that, replaced with one of those smiles that was just for Eugene.

“He already likes you,” Jesse said, slipping fingers into Eugene's and pulling him to the door, smiling again when he noticed the lock, this one accompanied by a faint blush. “And he’ll like you even more after he properly meets you tonight.”

  


* * *

  


Eugene was in the middle of telling Jesse about the time Luna had used all his shaving cream in a bathtime ‘potion’ a couple years ago and the war that had escalated out of it when the others trundled into the house, everyone but Sam looking how Eugene felt when Jesse dragged him into every single goddamn store in the mall; exhausted and ready to be home.

“Are you boys hungry?” Sam asked. If she was addressing a particular grouping of boys, it wasn’t obvious which combination. But Jesse always assumed everyone was talking to him so he answered first.

“Eugene and I already ate so we’re good for a while.”

“Find anything good?”

“Gene made pancit.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Sam said, though she did look rather impressed. Eugene wasn’t sure if she knew what pancit was any better than Jesse had, but it didn’t sound like anything Jesse would eat willingly, hence her appreciation.

“I hope you don’t mind I borrowed your kitchen.” Eugene shrugged modestly.

“You’re welcome to it. But you’ll have to share next time you make something, I love good food and if you have the Jesse seal of approval, I’ve got to try it.”

“I’m not _that _picky,” Jesse grouched and was ignored.

“There’s leftovers,” Eugene offered. “When I cook, I’m usually cooking for _at least_ seven so I’m bad at making small portions.”

“Splendid,” Sam swept into the kitchen to examine the contents of the fridge. When she saw just how bad Eugene was at cooking small, she suggested they heat up the leftovers for dinner and was met with no objections.

“I invite you to dinner and you cook it,” Robert said with a broad grin. “No wonder Sam speaks so fondly of you.”

“I’ve got Hannah on speed dial any time you need her skills,” Sam chimed in.

“Mom, nobody uses speed dial anymore, you’re showing your age.”

“Manners,” Robert reminded Jesse. Jesse didn’t apologize. But there was no way either of his parents had expected him to. “So you cook often, Eugene?”

“When I’m at home,” he answered. “Kings Row doesn’t like students in the kitchens.”

“No, I don’t suppose they would.” Robert had an easy charm to him that Jesse had inherited, blue eyes and blond hair, too. All three aspects were a different shade, slightly off from Jesse’s, but similar enough to see them clearly in each other. Jesse’s hair, for instance, was much yellower than Robert’s. And Robert’s charm focused on putting people at ease rather than asking them to vie for his attention and affection the way Jesse’s so often did. Eugene had noticed it the handful of times Robert had dropped by team practices but he hadn’t expected to be offered it now without so much as an interrogation first.

By the time Jesse had collected himself last week, it had been time for them all to get back to school. Eugene hadn’t known what to expect when they’d come down the stairs but it hadn’t been the jovial greeting, sturdy handshake, and hearty invitation to dinner that he’d received from Robert. He’d made no mention of the scene in Jesse’s room, nor had he seemed perturbed by it. Jesse was an emotional creature, maybe Robert was desensitized to his tears. But Jesse had been surprised when Robert had told him he would be the one driving to Exton, which made Eugene think Jesse had been checked in on. Whatever he’d said, it must have convinced Robert that no harm had been done because Robert talked with Eugene about cooking and his family, moving conversation along comfortably. Eventually, they came around to the topic of fencing and Sam rolled her eyes.

“Five fencers in one house, I’m lucky we didn’t skip right to it, aren’t I?” She said when talk of nationals came up. But instead of leaving or trying to redirect conversation, she asked, “Are you competing, Eugene?”

“Nah, I’m happier on a team.”

“And Nick tells me Sally—Coach Williams, that is—has an eye on you for captain of yours next year," Robert said.

_“What?”_ Jesse’s voice was loud in Eugene’s ear, enough to make him wince away from it. “Is that true?”

“I guess,” Eugene said, startled at the betrayal written across Jesse’s features. “She asked me to consider the idea.”

“When?”

“January, maybe?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jesse demanded and it was actually a relief to know that _this_ was what his hurt was over. With Jesse, there was always the possibility he’d be upset over the idea of his boyfriend captaining his rival team.

“I was going to but you didn’t want to call,” Eugene said meaningfully. Sure, he could have shared the news over text—it was a prospect he was excited about and when Williams had implied interest in it…well, he’d wanted to tell Jesse right away, even before the rest of his team. But Jesse hadn’t wanted a call and Eugene hadn’t wanted to throw the news into the void that texting Jesse had become after the pool incident. “Then I kind of forgot about it.”

“Forgot? Eugene that’s _huge_. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” But he’d calmed some, remembering, if not the specific exchange correlating to the forgotten news, then his general behavior during that time.

“It’s not for sure.” But he was pleased anyway.

“Coach Williams has a sharp eye and an iron will. You’ll be captain next year, I’d bet on it,” Robert said, reminding Eugene that this conversation wasn’t just his and Jesse’s.

“I hope so.”

“You’ll be a great captain,” Jesse told him quietly as Nick asked how Robert had met their coach and the conversation moved on. Jesse was smiling brightly for him, a kinetic energy evident in him, one that Eugene recognized from Nick. It spoke of excitement. Eugene hadn’t ever considered withholding the news of his might-be captaincy from Jesse but he had considered the might-be fall-out that sort of direct rivalry could cause. Jesse, though, was bright and excited on his behalf and it was enough to make Eugene want to hug him. If they had been alone, Eugene would have done just that but, as it was, he took Jesse’s hand and bumped a shoulder against him.

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should be scared for next year.”

“I’ll consider it.”

“Sorry I forgot to tell you earlier.”

“Sorry I wasn’t willing to listen earlier.”

“And Jesse?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. It means a lot to me that you think I can do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t mind me just casually sprinkling in some Eugene headcanons that you'll have to pry from my cold, dead hands


	29. Chapter 29

“It’s unfair.” The phone did nothing to rob Jesse’s voice of its whine. “Are you ever actually _in_ school? Kings Row takes more days off than any school I’ve ever gone to.”

“Maybe your schools are too fancy and prestigious to take off all the days the good state of Connecticut allows,” Eugene suggested, throwing a ball absently in one hand, a remnant of Luna’s brief foray into tennis that had somehow ended up in his room. “Or _maybe_ Kings Row starts school crazy early in the summer. And it’s just the one day off this time for the end of third quarter.”

“I still think it’s unfair and excessive.”

“I wouldn’t complain too much if I were you.”

“And why not?”

“Because it has its benefits.”

“Like getting a text in the middle of history from you, bragging that you just woke up?”

“Like I’m at home. Want to come over?” Eugene caught the tennis ball out of the air and grinned as Jesse paused to reassess the situation.

“Pick me up at three?”

“See you soon, Jess.”

  


* * *

  


When Eugene pulled into the driveway with Jesse in his passenger seat, he had to wait for it to empty of people.

“Who’re they?” Jesse asked, meaning the pair in the hubbub that did not belong to the Labao family.

“Neighbors,” Eugene said, hopping out and rounding the car to free Jesse. “C’mon, I’ll introduce you.”

But as soon as they were clear of the car, the younger of the two women ran at Eugene, flinging arms around his neck and trusting him to catch her as her feet tucked up behind her. Her trust was not misplaced. Eugene returned her bear hug and swung her around the way he did to his siblings, even the ones that claimed to have grown out of it.

“Gweny!” He finished his circle and put her back down. She pretended to glare up at him.

“You didn’t tell me you’d be home today, Genie,” she accused.

“You know I fucking hate it when you call me that,” Eugene objected. That seemed to be repentance enough for Gwen because she dropped the act. Before Jesse had a chance to get too displeased about the entire display, Eugene grabbed him and hauled him closer. “This is Jesse. Jess, this is Gwen. She’s in the house next door so she and her mom are old family friends.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jesse smiled pleasantly. It looked nice but it wasn’t real. Gwen didn’t notice, returning the smile and the sentiment with sincerity.

“Mom and I were going to visit the ranch and thought we’d invite you guys,” Gwen explained. “Are you two interested in coming?”

“Not today,” Eugene answered, spurring Gwen’s eyes to his hand, which had dropped Jesse’s arm but stayed close enough to brush against him. One dark eyebrow rose high, a knowing smile taking her mouth.

“In that case, you’re welcome for emptying the house.”

“Get your mind out of the gutters, Gwen.”

“Why? I think I’d know better than anyone what you do with an empty house.”

“Whatever you say,” Eugene said with a laugh. “Hey, I’m gonna go say hi to your mom real quick. Let her know I’m sorry to be missing the ranch.”

“But not _too _sorry,” Gwen said, still smirking. Then, before Eugene had time to take Jesse’s hand and introduce him over to Tia, Gwen was speaking again. “Do you go to Kings Row too?” She asked.

It was a safe enough question and Eugene wasn’t going to be gone for long so he left Jesse to it. The guy was charismatic and good with people, he’d be fine. But Tia had a way of roping people into conversations and Eugene couldn’t extract himself without being rude. He kept glancing over to Jesse and Gwen, though, a little antsy about leaving them alone for so long. Gwen was great but she was very straightforward. Blunt. Indelicate. And Eugene could think of several things she could say that would upset Jesse greatly. Judging by the way Jesse had thrown back his shoulders and tilted his chin _just so, _he’d gone into full douche mode, which meant he wasn’t liking what he was hearing.

“I should really get back to my boyfriend, he’s probably cold and we had a long drive,” Eugene said as politely as possible when Tia took a breath between stories.

“Can’t you guys come too?” Fritz asked, tugging at Eugene’s arm. “Jesse would like the ranch.” That made Eugene laugh. Jesse would _not _like the ranch.

“Not today, bud. Tia, we’ll have to have you over next time I’m home, you always have the best stories.”

“Yes, yes, we’ll have to do that soon. You’re so hard to pin down these days, I used to have to kick you out of the house,” Tia laughed and Eugene offered her a smile, but he was already edging away. “Tell Gwen to get over here, will you? _I’m_ getting cold too and we’ve got a long drive.”

“Will do!” Eugene told her, making quickly back over to his friends.

“—a pretty thing like you—,” Gwen was saying as Eugene rejoined them, interrupting the rest of her remark with well-placed finger tasers. She shrieked and doubled over, grabbing her sides to protect from further attack. But the move had already succeeded in all it had needed to in getting her to stop talking.

“Your mom says it’s time to go,” he said, stepping around her to Jesse.

“Oh, alright. Well, nice talking to you, Jesse,” she held a hand up in a little wave to him. “And Eugene, I miss you! Next time you’re home you _have_ to tell me, okay?”

“Sure thing.”

Gwen sprung another little hug on him and, when she’d let go and turned to her mother, Eugene took Jesse’s hand, wasting no time in leading him directly to the house. An introduction to Tia would take too long and Jesse was tense. Best to get him inside and say hellos when everyone got back.

“I always thought,” Tia said, unintentionally loud enough that Eugene could hear as he took Jesse up the path to the house, “that _you_ and Eugene might get together. You were so close as kids…”

“Don’t pay attention to Tia,” Eugene murmured to Jesse, quickening their pace. He was glad to close the front door between them and his neighbors.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jesse was red as a lobster and, for once, Eugene felt bad for the blush.

“She’s just like that. She keeps trying to set Luna up with her nephew. It’s not a personal judgment on you or anything. We joke that she wants into the family for the recipes.”

“It’s fine,” Jesse said, unconvincing as hell as he watched Eugene’s family, plus Tia and Gwen, load into the van and back out of the driveway.

“I’m sorry about that anyway,” Eugene tried, but Jesse wasn’t really listening. As soon as the van had disappeared from sight, he spun away from the window and dragged Eugene through the house. “You sure you’re okay?” Eugene asked dubiously after Jesse kicked his bedroom door shut. And locked it. “Jesse, what’re you—mmph!”

Jesse had crashed into him, body and lips both gluing to Eugene’s. It was an immediate response to close arms around Jesse in return. Jesse was often insistent and playing coy wasn’t something he really believed in, not with Eugene. When he wanted something, he made it known. But this didn’t just feel insistent, it felt deliberate. More determined than just wanting.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Eugene said, catching Jesse’s face and pulling it off him. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing,” Jesse said shortly. Then, just as clipped, “Am I not allowed to kiss you?”

“Of course you are, but—,”

“Good, that’s what I thought.”

Eugene didn’t really have a problem with the hard kisses, or possessive fingers wrapped tightly in his hair, or the persistent urging towards the bed. He had a problem with Jesse’s imperiously straight posture, with his movements that felt intentional and loaded in the way of fencing rather than kissing, with the tightness around his eyes and in his voice. Again, Eugene was about to push Jesse away but there was no need, Jesse broke off himself and fit his head against Eugene’s shoulder, still holding on tight. Eugene thought it was possible Jesse had gotten this out of his system and was ready to calm down now. He was wrong.

“Do you still keep condoms in your nightstand?”

“Gwen mentioned that, huh?” Eugene had suspected she might have. “This goes without saying but Gwen and I haven’t been like that for years.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“And I’m not going to because it doesn’t matter. You’re mad.” Eugene tried to ease out of Jesse’s grasp but he was clung on too tightly to be shrugged off gently. Shoving didn’t seem like a good idea just now so Eugene gave up.

“No, I just think it’s about time, don’t you?”

“It hasn’t been that long since the last time I kidnapped you from Exton.”

“Gwen says you two did it within a week of your first kiss.”

“Yeah, because we were dumb and horny and had no idea what we were doing.”

Jesse pulled away abruptly. “She was your first?”

“Does it matter?”

“You make it sound like she was your first. She made it sound like that too.”

“Come on, don’t be like this, Jess. You know I had my fun.”

“I didn’t expect _your fun_ to be your next-door neighbor.”

“You heard her,” Eugene said, patience slipping slightly, “I forgot to even tell her I was home for the weekend. And who is it I drove ages to bring home?”

Jesse didn’t even soften, his mind had set on something else. It annoyed Eugene because he’d intentionally meant to avoid Jesse’s screwy thinking over this. He’d been careful not to move them _too_ fast so Jesse wouldn’t feel like that was all Eugene wanted from him. But Jesse was upset over it anyway.

“She’s very pretty.” It wasn’t said as a compliment.

“Yeah, she is,” Eugene confirmed, narrowing eyes now.

“Bit of an overbite, though.”

“Jesse.”

“I’m much better looking, wouldn’t you say?”

“We’re not doing this.”

“I doubt she’s nationally ranked in anything, either,” Jesse continued.

“If you think I’m gonna participate in your petty insecurities by putting down my friend, you’re wrong.”

“So you do like her better. I thought it was strange that you were still so close with her—,”

“Your definition of _so close_ is a little wonky there, bud. What would you have me do? She lives next door, staying friends was hardly even a choice.”

“I think my definition of _so close_ is just fine, actually. What else would you call sneaking around together for a whole summer?”

“I call that being friends with benefits,” Eugene snapped. “I don’t understand why this is a surprise to you. But that was right before I moved to Kings Row and we were clear that it wasn’t really anything.” Clear or not, Eugene still felt guilty over that summer. “I’m lucky we were able to go back to just friends after that without any extra trouble.”

“Extra trouble? Is that what you think I am?”

“Right now? Yeah, a little bit.”

Jesse’s glare was fiercer than Eugene had ever seen before, his hands clenched into fists and his body screaming for a fight. He’d go off, escalate this into a screaming match. But Eugene wasn’t in the mood for it. Scooping up the ball he’d left on his nightstand, Eugene sat on his bed and raised his eyebrows at Jesse. _Go for it,_ he said without saying anything at all, _go off, I’m settled in and ready for a show._

“Sorry I’m not as perfect as _Gweny,”_ Jesse spat and then, after a faltering step in the direction of the door, he started storming. Only, instead of storming _away_, he stomped right up to the bed and, with a huff, curled himself into Eugene’s side. Eugene just stared down at him for a second. He sincerely hadn’t been expecting that.

“Uh, shouldn’t you be being mad somewhere else?” He asked, something like fond amusement already softening his annoyance and making him lower an arm around his angry hedgehog.

“No,” Jesse said after a long moment of silence. It must have been taken to calm down because his voice came out drained and muffled. “I know you won’t come after me if I storm off.”

For some reason, that made Eugene’s chest squeeze. And that made him tighten the arm he’d wrapped around Jesse.

“Don’t be stupid. I’d come after you if it was important. I always do, don’t I?”

“I can’t tell if this is important enough to bother.”

“Here’s a shortcut: if it’s important to you, I’ll come after you.” Because Jesse didn’t do well with cool-down time. It only gave him a chance to spiral more and without anyone to stop him from it. “But I like this too,” Eugene said truthfully.

“She calls you Genie,” Jesse was all sulk now, more pitiful than pissed. But Eugene tread lightly, not wanting to reignite the first fight of their relationship.

“I hate it when she does,” he said.

“Does she call you Gene, too?”

“Occasionally, I think. But she doesn’t call me anything that often. We run in different circles these days. We hang sometimes when I’m home but not as much as we used to.”

“Marcel said you don’t do friends with benefits.”

“Gwen’s the reason I don’t,” Eugene admitted. After her, he’d switched exclusively to one night stands and quick hookups. “A whole summer is a long time to ask without someone wanting more. And I never wanted more.”

“You didn’t like her?”

“Not like that.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

It wasn’t the praise Jesse had been aiming for at the start of the row but Eugene thought he caught a little smile, though it was hard to tell with the way Jesse’s face was buried in his chest. It was peaceful sitting there with Jesse tucked against him, holding to him persistently. For a moment, Jesse’s fingers clutched extra tight, almost desperately, into Eugene’s shirt, just above his heart, then he let go and sat up.

“You were right, Gene,” Jesse said with quiet reluctance. Eugene was worried he might _actually_ make Jesse cry. He looked in danger of it and, this time, Eugene didn’t think it was from any sort of gladness or relief. “I’m not happy with settling for _good enough.”_ Eugene stopped worrying about making Jesse cry and worried instead about what Jesse thought he had _settled_ for. “I can’t stop with just what I need. And I—it’s not enough for me to just be temporary to you.”

“What?”

“I thought I could be okay with being a fling but I’m—,”

“You’re not—,”

“No, I’m _not. _I’m not okay with casual. I can’t—I can’t stand it if I’m just another pretty thing to fill your time until something better comes along.”

Eugene was speechless. A dozen things flashed in his mind: Gwen calling Jesse a _pretty thing,_ Jesse’s forwardness and his hesitance their entire relationship, all the thought gone into making sure Jesse didn’t feel like he was just another fling. This argument was suddenly cast in a worrying new light and Eugene could see exactly how Jesse might have taken some of the things he’d said during it. _Shit._

“Jesse, listen to me—,”

“No, I need to say this. You told me I should talk to you when something’s stressing me out, even if it’s you, and that’s what I’m doing now.”

“Yes, but I didn’t mean—,”

“I know it’s selfish of me so I didn’t want to say anything but I can’t help it. I want more. I thought being with you was enough, I really thought I’d be happy with however long you wanted this with me but I’m not someone that can settle for less than I want and I want all of you, not just your temporary interest. I’m sorry but I don’t think I can do this anymore after all. Talking with Gwen…it made me realize that.”

“I don’t know what she said to you but she’s _not_ you, Jesse. I—fuck, where do I even start? You’ve really been thinking like that this whole time?” Eugene was too astounded to organize his thoughts properly. Jesse just shrugged.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, hey, don’t be sorry,” Eugene said, lifting Jesse’s chin so he could see him. He still looked like he might cry. No surprises there. _“I’m _sorry you felt like you couldn’t talk to me. It’s not selfish, Jesse. You deserve to feel comfortable and secure in this relationship, that’s something you _need_ and it’s not selfish at all to ask for that and—,” there was a lot to say but Eugene wanted to clear up the main issue as quickly as possible, “—and I never would have started anything with you if I didn’t think I could give you what you needed. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve been dating this whole time.”

“You mean that?” Jesse asked, eyes bright.

“Yes. God, _yes._ You can tell because I keep bringing you home, and because I make time specifically to see you, and because I never asked if you were okay with something casual because I never expected _or_ wanted that from you. I’m sure I’ve been telling people about us, did I really never tell _you_ about us?” Searching through his memory, Eugene couldn’t come up with a single time that he’d introduced Jesse as his boyfriend when Jesse was actuallythere. Eugene slipped a hand behind Jesse’s head and pulled him in, kissing a cheek before wrapping him in a hug. “If you’re still unclear, let me know so we can fix it right now.”

Jesse shook his head. “I didn’t want to make assumptions,” he said, arms tight around Eugene again. “I didn’t want to be disappointed if I was wrong.”

“You should have asked. Haven’t we already addressed this, like, a hundred times? Communication is important, dipshit.”

“It’s a little embarrassing to just ask, _hey, are we dating?”_ Jesse shot back and Eugene had to give it to him, he definitely would have laughed. “You would have laughed.”

“What? Me? Laugh at you? No way.”

“You’re laughing right now, I can feel it.”

“Telepathically?”

“Yes,” Jesse replied stubbornly. Then he sighed. “I thought we were probably dating but you always said you didn’t do serious, and then Gwen had you for longer than I have but she wasn’t serious either.”

“So you decided that meant _you_ weren’t serious,” Eugene guessed and felt Jesse nod.

“And then she knew so much about you and you have so much history. She talked like she knew you in a way I didn’t and I hate it. I hate that she’s right.”

“Woah, wait, what’re we talking about now?”

“You’re never all over _me. _Gwen said you could never keep your hands to yourself when you two were…whatever you were.”

“You’ve gotta stop doing that, man,” Eugene groaned. “You’re _not_ Gwen. And _we’re_ not Seiji and Nick. You can’t just expect this to go how any of that went, so get all that shit outta your head. Listen, Gwen was my first kiss and my first time and, yeah, we fooled around for a summer. I’m sorry you can’t have those things from me but you have _me_. I told you, you stole me. Completely. I’m yours. And, if it means anything to you, you’re my first boyfriend—hell, you’re the first person I’ve ever even _wanted_ to date. So you can have that.”

“You’re my first boyfriend too.”

“I know.”

“You’re the first boy I ever kissed.”

“I kind of thought I might be.”

“You’re the only one I want to kiss,” Jesse said, sitting up properly to say this to Eugene’s face.

“Good,” Eugene kissed him, soft and slow. “Keep it that way.”

“I thought you’d want more than just kissing. You always—well, I know how you are. Were. With your _fun_.”

“What did I just say? You’re not a quick hookup. I’ve never liked someone the way I like you, do you understand that? Jess, this boyfriend stuff is new to me, okay? You can’t expect to follow the same patterns I went through with the rest. You _broke_ those patterns. Affection isn’t uniform, it doesn’t show the same way all the time. Stop comparing us to relationships that didn’t mean anything to me because it’s different. I’m still figuring it out. All the ways to love you.”

Jesse’s eyes blew wide. He didn’t look anywhere near crying anymore. “You love me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You kind of did,” Jesse insisted vehemently. Eugene wouldn’t have been surprised if he invoked the _no take-backsies _rule.

“I said I was figuring out how to.”

“Don’t take too long. I’m not very patient.”

“Shocker.”

“You’re really serious about me? You promise?”

“I really, really am. Ask anyone, they’ll tell you.”

Finally, the truth of it seemed to settle into Jesse and he smiled, gorgeous and ecstatic and contagious. Not for the first time that day, Jesse attacked Eugene with a barrage of kisses. But these were enthusiastic and glad, the type that conveyed pure joy. With a tug at Jesse’s hips, Eugene pulled him into his lap and deepened the happy pecks into proper kisses.

“I don’t understand,” Eugene said, tipping Jesse’s head up to kiss along his jaw, right up to his ear, “how the fuck you got it in your pretty head that I didn’t want you in every possible way there is to want you.” Jesse shivered. It was the sensitive ears.

“That was pretty stupid of me,” Jesse said, sounding smug and sure of himself. Eugene smiled against Jesse’s neck and kissed it one more time before relieving him of his shirt. He could just make out some of the hickeys he’d left behind the last time he’d gotten Jesse in his lap.

“I’ll say. Do you know better now?” Eugene trailed fingers over Jesse’s fair skin, desire taking root in him as he imagined all the things he could do to it. Imagined all the other skin that could be explored today. They _did_ have an empty house…

Jesse nodded, but Eugene was pretty sure he’d have to be even more clear about it from here on out. He could do that.

Jesse pulled Eugene against him again, kissing him with fervor that was met and returned tenfold. There was still something strange about kissing the same boy again and again, about wanting to kiss no one but him. Having a boyfriend really _was_ new to Eugene. He liked it a lot. Mostly, he just liked Jesse. Liked talking to him and helping him through his spiraling meltdowns. Liked teasing him and laughing with him. Liked holding him close and kissing him the exact way he liked to be kissed. Every sensitivity and irritation, Eugene liked it all. So much. It wasn’t unpleasant or tiresome to contemplate convincing Jesse of that. Anyone else, Eugene wouldn’t have bothered. But Jesse had always been different.

“Gene?”

“Jesse Bear?”

“When you tell me you love me, I’ll say it back.”

“I’ll make sure to figure it out soon,” he promised.

“I thought I was trouble?” Jesse lilted with a teasing smile.

“Yeah,” Eugene agreed, kissing the tiny and disgruntled frown that had replaced Jesse’s smile when Eugene hadn’t dismissed the question the way he’d obviously been supposed to. “Trouble. And worth every bit of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the rest of the decade, folks, I'm out ✌️
> 
> Okay, now that I've got the terrible jokes out of my system, can I just say that I am amazed at those of you that are reading this note right now? Like. Holy shit. NOT ONLY did you decide reading a long ass fic for this tiny (but growing!) ship was a good idea but you had to have made it through Truths to get here. _And_ you stayed for 12 chapters after they got together. I honestly never expected more than four people to read this because what crazy lunatic ships characters that haven't met yet? So just thank you so much for sticking with me and I seriously love you all so much. I feel like I should invite you over, make some snacks, and force you to play Betrayal at House on the Hill with me while Star Trek plays in the background, that's how much I love y'all 
> 
> I cannot fucking believe it but we're really and truly done with this fic series now and tbh I'm a little sad to see it finished but I had such a fun time writing it. _Thank you_ for coming with me through it all.
> 
> 💜
> 
> (P.S. because I've gotta scream about this and you've gotta see it if you haven't already—[Internetbanality](https://internetbanality.tumblr.com//) drew [this amazing lil comic based on Jesse and his phone](https://internetbanality.tumblr.com/post/189988175268/pick-up-the-phone-jesse-eugene-is-calling) AND [this amazing comic of Jesse's confession](https://internetbanality.tumblr.com/post/625023748782931968/from-trouble-by-applesandbannas747-nobody)<3)


End file.
